Comparing the Individual and Joint Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness on Alleviation of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Cancer Patients
Fahad Dehesh *
Department of Clinical Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research of Fars, Shiraz, Iran.
Erfan Dehesh
Department of Computer Engineering, Payame Noor University, Bastak, Iran.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Therapies based on acceptance, commitment, and mindfulness are recognised as efficient approaches to alleviating depression and anxiety symptoms in cancer patients. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) underscores acceptance of hard feelings and thoughts and commitment to meaningful actions, while mindfulness highlights practising presence in the moment. This study compared the individual and combined effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy and mindfulness in easing depression and anxiety symptoms in cancer patients.
Methods: The present research was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest-control group design. The statistical population consisted of the female cancer patients of Mirza Kuchak Khan Hospital in Tehran in 2023. They were diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorders through psychological interviews. A total of 60 patients able to participate in therapeutic sessions were selected and randomly assigned to three experimental groups and one control group. Beck’s depression and anxiety scale was used for data collection. Likewise, the subjects in the experimental groups received cognitive mindfulness-based and acceptance and commitment therapies separately and jointly for eight 1-hour sessions.
Findings: The investigation of the effectiveness of the therapeutic approaches revealed that the combination of ACT and mindfulness-based therapies was the most effective method for relieving cancer patients’ depression symptoms and could considerably improve their mental states. Furthermore, both interventions independently alleviated patients’ depression and significantly relieved their anxiety symptoms.
Conclusion: The results indicate that the integrated therapy is more effective than the individual approaches in relieving depression symptoms, and ACT has the highest effect on anxiety reduction. In general, this combination is suggested as an inclusive strategy for managing cancer patients’ psychological conditions. Thus, attending to mixed approaches is imperative in these patients’ psychotherapy due to their better outcomes in relieving mental symptoms and improving quality of life.
Keywords: Acceptance and commitment therapy, anxiety, depression, mindfulness