A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Approaches on the Quality of Life and Resiliency among Disabled Veterans’ Wives with War-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Corresponding Author: Assistant Professor of Family Counselling, University of Kurdistan

2 Master of Family Counseling, Kurdistan University

Abstract

Introduction: Although war finished years ago, disabled veterans’ families, especially their wives, are still suffering from a lot of physical and psychological problems, which can seriously affect their well-being. The present study aimed to examine the effect of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) approach and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) approach on the resiliency and quality of life among disabled veterans’ wives with PTSD.
Method: In the present semi-experimental study, a pretest and a posttest were administered to the experimental and control groups, and the follow-up phase was carried out a month later. The statistical population included all the psychiatric disabled veterans’ wives with PTSD in Kuhdasht, Iran. A sample of 51 subjects was selected and randomly divided into 3 group .13 individuals were randomly assigned into the acceptance and commitment therapy group, 13 into the mindfulness-based cognitive therapy group, and 15 into the control group. WHOQOL- BREF and CD-RISC questionnaires were employed as the data collection instruments.
Results: The results of the present study revealed that ACT and MBCT approaches enhanced the participants’ scores in resiliency and quality of life (p<0.01). The results of one-month follow-up study further indicated that the effect remained unchanged (p<0.01). Both interventions were affective and a comparison of the two approaches indicated that ACT has more efficiency.
Discussion: The results of the present study showed that both ACT and MBCT approaches enhanced resiliency and quality of life among the disabled veterans’ wives with PTSD.

Keywords

References

Arch, J. J., & Craske, M. G. (2008). Acceptance and commitment therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders: Different treatments, similar mechanisms? Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 15(4), 263-279.
Bishop, S. R. (2002). What do we really know about mindfulness-based stress reduction? Psychosomatic medicine, 64(1), 71-83.
Boakye, M., Leigh, B. C., & Skelly, A. C. (2012). Quality of life in persons with spinal cord injury: comparisons with other populations. Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, 17(Suppl1), 29-37.
Butler, J., & Ciarrochi, J. (2007). Psychological acceptance and quality of life in the elderly. Quality of life Research, 16(4), 607-615.
Connor, K. M., & Davidson, J. R. (2003). Development of a new resilience scale: The Connor‐Davidson resilience scale (CD‐RISC). Depression and Anxiety, 18(2), 76-82.
Crane, R. (2009). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. Canada: Routledge.
Davis, D. M., & Hayes, J. A. (2011). What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapy-related research. Psychotherapy, 48(2), 198.
Dekel, R., Levinstein, Y., Siegel, A., Fridkin, S., & Svetlitzky, V. (2016). Secondary traumatization of partners of war veterans: The role of boundary ambiguity. Journal of Family Psychology, 30(1), 63.
Farage, M. A., Miller, K. W., Sherman, S. N., & Tsevat, J. (2012). Assessing quality of life in older adult patients with skin disorders. Global journal of Health Science, 4(2), 119.
Godfrin, K. A., & Van Heeringen, C. (2010). The effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on recurrence of depressive episodes, mental health and quality of life: A randomized controlled study. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48(8), 738-746.
Hart, A. B. (2000). An operators manual for combat PTSD: iUniverse.
Hayes, S. C., & Strosahl, K. D. (2004). A practical guide to acceptance and commitment therapy: Springer Science & Business Media.
Hofmann, S. G., Sawyer, A. T., Witt, A. A., & Oh, D. (2010). The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta-analytic review. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 78(2), 169.
Joseph, S., & Linley, P. A. (2006). Growth following adversity: Theoretical perspectives and implications for clinical practice. Clinical Psychology Review, 26(8), 1041-1053.
Juarascio, A. S., Forman, E. M., & Herbert, J. D. (2010). Acceptance and commitment therapy versus cognitive therapy for the treatment of comorbid eating pathology. Behavior Modification, 34(2), 175-190.
Kabat-Zinn, J., & Hanh, T. N. (2009). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness: Delta.
Klarić, M., Kvesić, A., Mandić, V., Petrov, B., & Frančišković, T. (2013). Secondary traumatisation and systemic traumatic stress. Medicina Academica Mostariensia, 1(1), 29-36.
Koenen, K. C., Stellman, S. D., Sommer, J. F., & Stellman, J. M. (2008). Persisting posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and their relationship to functioning in Vietnam veterans: A 14‐year follow‐up. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 21(1), 49-57.
Kozaric'-Kovacic, D., Pavelic, K., Filipac, V., Cindric, M., Vucinic, S., & Kraljevic'Pavelic, S. (2010). Proteomics and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Coping with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Returning Troops: Wounds of War II/Wiederhold. Amsterdam: IOS Press.
Kumpfer, K. L. (2002). Factors and processes contributing to resilience Resilience and development (pp. 179-224): Springer.
Martin, J., Mancini, D., Bowen, G., Mancini, J., & Orthner, D. (2004). Building strong communities for military families. Minneapolis, MN: National Council on Family Relations.
Renshaw, K. D., Rodrigues, C. S., & Jones, D. H. (2008). Psychological symptoms and marital satisfaction in spouses of Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans: Relationships with spouses' perceptions of veterans' experiences and symptoms. Journal of Family Psychology, 22(4), 586.
Witek-Janusek, L., Albuquerque, K., Chroniak, K. R., Chroniak, C., Durazo-Arvizu, R., & Mathews, H. L. (2008). Effect of mindfulness based stress reduction on immune function, quality of life and coping in women newly diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 22(6), 969-981.
Zimering, R., Munroe, J., & Gulliver, S. (2003). Secondary traumatization in mental health care providers. Psychiatric Times, 20(4). 1-4

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 15 September 2017
  • Revise Date: 22 February 2019
  • Accept Date: 23 April 2018

Share

How to cite

Statistics