Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Psychological Distress, Alexithymia, and Spiritual Health in Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) can be aggravated due to stress, depression, anxiety, emotional and spiritual problems.

The primary objective of this study was to assess the impact of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on psychological distress, alexithymia, and spiritual health among women with CVD.

The current research adopted a randomized controlled clinical trial, employing a pre-test-post-test design along with a control group. The statistical population comprised women with CVD residing in the 6th district of Tehran during August and September 2021. The research sample comprised 30 women with CVD who were selected using purposive sampling and divided into experimental groups (n=15) and control group (n=15). The experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of ACT, but the control group did not receive any intervention. The data collection process included utilizing questionnaires to measure psychological distress, Toronto alexithymia, and spiritual health. The data collected were subsequently subjected to analysis using multivariate analysis of covariance SPSS-24.

The results showed that ACT significantly decreases anxiety (F=34.71, P=0.001, η2=0.63), stress (F=30.14, P=0.001, η2=0.60), depression (F=48.34, P=0.001, η2=0.71), difficulty identifying feelings (F=28.80, P=0.001, η2=0.59), difficulty describing feelings (F=44.30, P=0.001, η2=0.68), externally oriented thinking (F=36.50, P=0.001, η2=0.68), and increases existential health (F=37.69, P=0.001, η2=0.66), and religious health (F=24.56, P=0.001, η2=0.55) in women with CVD (P<0.01).

ACT offers promising prospects for improving the psychological, emotional, and spiritual health of women living with CVD. By promoting acceptance, emotional awareness, and committed action, ACT empowers women to cope effectively with psychological distress, address alexithymia, and nurture their spiritual well-being.