A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Unified Transdiagnostic Treatment on Resilience in Nurses with Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms Following COVID-19 Infection

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Unified Transdiagnostic Treatment (UP) on resilience among nurses experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms following COVID-19 infection. This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a control group and a two-month follow-up. The statistical population consisted of nurses with a history of COVID-19 infection and post-traumatic stress symptoms working at Shahid Seyed Mostafa Khomeini Hospital in Tabas. Thirty eligible participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to three groups (ACT, UP, and control; n=10 each). The intervention groups received eight 45-minute treatment sessions. Data were collected using the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Questionnaire and analyzed through analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and Bonferroni post hoc tests. ANCOVA results demonstrated significant group differences in resilience at posttest (F=8.563, p=0.007, η²=0.241) and follow-up (F=8.649, p=0.045, η²=0.352) after controlling for pretest scores. Bonferroni comparisons indicated that both ACT and UP significantly improved resilience compared with the control group. However, ACT produced significantly greater improvements in resilience than UP, and this superiority remained stable during the follow-up assessment (p<0.01).The findings suggest that both ACT and UP are effective interventions for enhancing resilience among nurses with post-traumatic stress symptoms related to COVID-19. Nevertheless, ACT demonstrated stronger and more enduring effects. Therefore, ACT may be considered a particularly valuable intervention for strengthening psychological resilience, adaptive coping, and mental health among healthcare professionals facing traumatic and high-stress situations.