Comparison of the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy with compassion-focused therapy on psychological well-being and internalized shame in female students with vitiligo

Vitiligo aggravates psychological problems such as anxiety and depression and ultimately reduces the quality of life in patients. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) with compassion-focused therapy (CFT) on psychological well-being and internalized shame in female students with vitiligo.

This semi-experimental study was performed based on a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design with a control group. The study population consisted of all female students with vitiligo in the secondary high school in Tabriz, Iran, in the academic year of 2022. The research sample was 45 students who were selected by purposive sampling method and were randomly divided into experimental and control groups of 15 people. Both experimental groups received their treatment in eight 1.5-h sessions, but the control group did not receive any treatment.

Compared to the control group, both treatments (ACT and CFT) increased the psychological well-being of female students with vitiligo in the post-test (P<0.001) and decreased their internalized shame (P<0.001). In the follow-up phase, the effect of these two treatments on the quality of psychological well-being and internalized shame was lasting (P<0.001). The effect of these two treatments on psychological well-being and internalized shame was the same in post-test and follow-up phases (P>0.05).

Due to the effectiveness of these two treatments (ACT and CFT) on psychological well-being and internalized shame in girls with vitiligo, it can be used to increase psychological well-being and reduce internalized shame in these people.