Comparing the effectiveness of combined therapy of integrative positive acceptance with commitment acceptance and positive psychotherapy on hope of depressed women

The onset of depression has led to a decline in women's hope, which poses many problems. This study aimed to comparing the effectiveness of combined therapy of integrative positive acceptance with commitment acceptance and positive psychotherapy on hope of depressed women.

The research design was quasi-experimental and consisted of three phases: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. The population consisted of depressed women in Isfahan in the fall of 2019 and winter of 2020. Purposive sampling was used to select 80 people from the statistical population and randomly assign them to three experimental groups (20 people in each group) and a control group (20 people). Snyder's Hope Questionnaire was used to measure the dependent variable. A total of 12 sessions were given to two treatment groups, consisted of positive acceptance and commitment therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy, and 13 sessions was given to positive psychotherapy, as opposed to no treatment given to the control group. The data were analyzed through repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post-hoc tests.

The results showed that positive psychotherapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and positive acceptance and commitment therapy in posttest and follow up were all significantly different from the control group on the hope variable (P<0.01). Besides, in posttest, positive acceptance and commitment therapy and positive psychotherapy was more effective than acceptance and commitment therapy, and in follow up positive acceptance and commitment therapy was more effective than positive psychotherapy and acceptance and commitment therapy in increasing hope for depressed women (P<0.01).

The present study concluded that positive acceptance and commitment therapy, coupled with acceptance and commitment therapy and positive psychotherapy, can increase hope.