Effectivenes of Acceptance-Commitment Therapy on the Resillience and Psycological Well-being of Female Patients with Multiple Sclerosis in Hamadan, Iran

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and progressive disease of the central nervous system that severely affects the individuals' physical health and psychological well-being. This study aimed to investigate the effect of acceptance-commitment therapy on the resilience and psychological well-being of women with MS in Hamadan Province, Iran.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted based on a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of women with MS in Hamadan, Iran. In total, 40 women were randomly selected and randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control (20 cases per group). The intervention group participated in eight 90-min sessions of virtual acceptance-commitment group therapy (one session per week). On the other hand, the control group received no intervention. The resilience and psychological well-being of the both groups were measured before and after the intervention using Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and Ryff Scale of Psychological Well-Being, followed by analysis of covariance. Regression analysis and Pearson correlation coefficient were used after ensuring that the statistical assumptions were met.

The mean values of resilience in the intervention and control groups at pretest were obtained at 43.33±3.16 and 43.80±3.53 (P>0.05), and the corresponding values were determined at 53.13±2.85 and 43.47±4.05 (P<0.05) at the posttest, respectively. Furthermore, the mean values of the psychological well-being in the intervention and control groups at pretest were calculated at 119.38±7.59 and 94.07±7.36 (P>0.05), and the corresponding values were 163.67±10.96 and 94.97±9.63 (P<0.05) at the posttest, respectively. This indicated a significant difference between the intervention and control groups.

The results showed that the acceptance-commitment therapy increased the resilience and psychological well-being of the patients with MS.