The Effectiveness of Group Acceptance and Commitment Psychotherapy on Psychological Well-being of Breast Cancer Patients in Shiraz, Iran

Background: Breast cancer is among the most prevalent types of cancers. Patients who suffer from cancer undergo many problems, including psychological complications. Acceptance and commitment psychotherapy can be used for psychological support and rehabilitation of patients with cancer. The present study investigates the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment group psychotherapy in improving the affective and psychological welfare of breast cancer patients in comparison with control cases. Methods: This study enrolled 30 female patients with breast cancer. The patients were equally randomized to an experimental group and a control group. Acceptance and commitment psychotherapy group intervention consisted of eight, 2-h sessions per month. The control group received non-therapeutic group intervention. We assessed psychological well-being at 2 time points, before and at the end of intervention. All data were analyzed by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. P-values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The results showed significant differences between the two groups in their mean scores of negative affect (F=18.91, P=0.000), positive affect (F=52.62, P=0.000), hope (F=59.10, P=0.000), and quality of life (F=22.12, P=0.001). Conclusion: Acceptance and commitment psychotherapy is a novel approach in group psychotherapy which can improve the psychological status of the patients who suffer from breast cancer.