The effectiveness of an ACT-based intervention to manage distress and promote positive affectivity

This study explored the efficacy of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) based program to manage psychological distress (PD) and to increase positive affectivity and quality of life (QoL) in patients with cancer. Participants were patients with cancer who were randomly assigned to: a) Medical Treatment-As-Usual (MTAU) plus ACT intervention (MTAU+ACT) or b) MTAU. Outcome measures were assessed before (pre-treatment) and after (post-treatment) the application of the ACT program. Pre- to post-treatment differences in outcome measures did not reach statistical significance in the MTAU condition. Patients in the ACT+MTAU condition showed a significant decrease in PD and a significant increase in positive affectivity at post-treatment. ANCOVA analyses showed that patients in the MTAU+ACT condition reported lower PD and higher social activity than patients in the MTAU condition at post-treatment. Findings support the effectiveness of the ACT programs to manage PD and increase QoL in patients with cancer.