The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on anxiety, perceived stress and pain coping strategies for patients with leukemia

As a universal problem, cancer is the third cause of death in Iran. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on anxiety, perceived stress and pain coping management strategies for patients with leukemia.

The present study is an applied and quasi-experimental project of pre-test-post-experimental type with control group. The statistical population of this study included all patients with leukemia who were hospitalized in Seyed Al-Shohada Hospital in Isfahan between April and June 2019 and their disease was confirmed. A sample of 30 people from the community who were selected using the available sampling method and using simple randomization method in two groups of acceptance and commitment treatment (n=15) and control group (n=15) were appointed. Data were obtained using the perceived stress scale, Beckchr('39')s anxiety scale and pain response strategies questionnaire. In order to deduce the inferential analysis, the one-dimensional and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used, which was performed with SPSS.22 software.

The results showed that the group had a significant effect on anxiety score (F=72.89, P<0.0001, partial ƞ2=0.78), perceived stress (F=71.01, P<0.0001, partial ƞ2=0.78), and pain coping strategies (F=113.14, P<0.0001, partial ƞ2=0.85).

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is effective in addressing anxiety, perceived stress, and pain coping strategies in patients with leukemia. Therefore, psychological interventions can be used to reduce the psychological problems caused by leukemia in patients.