The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment based Therapy on Pain Perception and Pain Self-Efficacy in Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

It is necessary to identify effective psychological therapies to improve pain in patients with musculoskeletal pain. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on pain perception and pain self-efficacy in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

The present study was a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest with a control group. The statistical population included all patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain who were referred to hospitals, physiotherapy and orthopedic clinics in Torbat-e Jam, Iran in the summer of 2020. Among the eligible individuals who volunteered to participate in the study, 30 were selected by available sampling method and randomly divided into experimental and control groups (15 people in each group). The experimental group participated in 8 sessions of 90-minute therapy training based on acceptance and commitment therapy of Vowles & Sorrell, but the control group received routine treatment. Data collection tools included McGill Pain Questionnaire and Nicholas Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire.

The results showed acceptance and commitment based therapy significantly reduced pain perception and increased pain self-efficacy in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain (P<0.001).

The findings of the present study emphasize the importance of acceptance and commitment based therapy in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain and provide new horizons in clinical interventions. Therefore, acceptance and commitment therapy can be used as complementary therapy by making a positive and appropriate change in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.