Comparison of the Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on Anxiety and Depression in Premature Infants Mothers

Postpartum anxiety and depression are harmful conditions that negatively affects not only mothers but also their infants. Therefore, this study aimed to determine and compare the effectiveness of psychological treatments in reducing the above-mentioned problems in mothers at risk. This is a randomized clinical trial with control group. After assessing 75 mothers who were admitted to infants' care unit, 45 mothers who had anxiety and depression levels above the cut-off point and conditions of participation in the design were identified and then randomly divided into three groups of 15, two intervention groups And a control group. For the first intervention group, the CBT program and the intervention group of the ACT program were administered in 8 sessions and the control group received the usual training. To determine the effect of the intervention program, a pre-test and post-test were conducted using the Zung anxiety test and Edinburgh post-partum depression test. The scores of intervention groups were significantly different in the post-test group compared to the control group in the anxiety and depression scale. The rate of depression and anxiety decreased after intervention, and the size of this decrease was higher in the ACT group. ACT treatment has a greater effect on the anxiety and depression of mothers than CBT treatment. According to the results, the use of the ACT approach and the need for nurses and doctors to cooperate with psychologists to intervene is necessary.