The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on Reducing Anxiety and Enhancing Psychological Well-Being in Patients with COVID-19

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in reducing anxiety and improving psychological well-being among patients with COVID-19. This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a control group and was conducted on 30 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who were referred to counseling centers in Kerman and Rafsanjan . Participants were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (n=15 each). The experimental group received eight sessions of ACT, while the control group received no intervention. Data collection instruments included the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS) and Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26, and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was applied to assess intervention effects. Statistical assumptions, including normality, homogeneity of variances, and regression slopes, were confirmed prior to analysis. MANCOVA results indicated a significant effect of ACT on the dependent variables (P < .001). After controlling for pretest scores, significant differences were found between groups in anxiety (F=123.115, P<.001, η²=0.826) and psychological well-being (F=244.070, P<.001, η²=0.904), demonstrating large effect sizes. The findings suggest that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy significantly reduces anxiety and enhances psychological well-being in patients with COVID-19 and can be considered an effective psychological intervention for this population.