The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Sexual Function, Coping Strategies and Distress Tolerance of Employees with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a multifactorial disease that has many psychological consequences. In this regard, the present study investigated the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on sexual function, coping strategies, and distress tolerance of employees with rheumatoid arthritis. The present research has a quasi-experimental design, with pre-test-post-test and a control group. The statistical population of the research included the employees of Tehran province in 2019. Thirty patients were randomly divided into intervention (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. The data collection tools included sexual function, coping strategies, and distress tolerance questionnaires. The intervention group received eight 90-minute sessions of acceptance and commitment therapy, but the control group did not. Data were analyzed using multivariate covariance analysis by SPSS-24 software. Acceptance and commitment therapy significantly reduced emotional and avoidant coping styles. On the contrary, it has increased sexual function, problem-oriented coping style, and distress tolerance (tolerance, absorption, evaluation, adjustment) in employees with rheumatoid arthritis (P<0.001). Also, according to the calculated effect size, 76% of the total variances of the intervention and control groups are due to the effect of the independent variable. This research findings indicated the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy in increasing the rheumatoid arthritis patients’ mental health. Since patients with rheumatoid arthritis are psychologically vulnerable, it is necessary to take measures to improve their psychological health.