Investigating the Effect of Compassion-Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Psychological Flexibility and Self-efficacy of Women with Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Introduction: Introduction: This study aims to determine the effectiveness of compassion-focused acceptance and commitment therapy on psychological flexibility and self-efficacy in females with MS.Method: To carry out this research, 30 women at Kashani Hospital in Isfahan who were diagnosed with MS were selected. In two stages pre-test and post-test, they were measured through the cognitive flexibility inventory (CFI) and Sherer & Maddux general self-efficacy scale (GSSES) in 1 group of treatment and 1 control group. The experimental group was treated for 8 sessions based on compassion-focused acceptance and commitment therapy, but the control group did not receive any treatment. Research data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance and one-way analysis of covariance and SPSS software were used.Result: The results showed that the treatment increased psychological flexibility and self-efficacy in the post-test compared to the pre-test. But this change was not observed in the control group.Discussion and conclusion: using compassion-focused acceptance and commitment therapy is effective in increasing psychological flexibility and self-efficacy of women with multiple sclerosis.

Keywords

• compassion-focused acceptance and commitment therapy
• psychological flexibility
• self-efficacy
• multiple sclerosis