Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for depression following psychosis: An examination of clinically significant change

Abstract Objectives Evidence shows that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an empirically supported psychological approach for chronic pain (CP) management. Although self-compassion is not explicitly a target of ACT, it seems to be one mechanism of change in ACT for CP. However, research is lacking on the benefits of including explicit self-compassionate exercises in ACT for CP. The current study pilot tested a Compassionate ACT 8-session group program (COMP.ACT; n=9), as well as an ACT-only 8-session group program (ACT; n=7), in a sample of women with CP. Methods The current study follows a quasi-experimental design, and conducts Reliable and Significant Change analyses comparing pre- to post-intervention scores of self-report measures. Results No differences were found between conditions at baseline, nor between completers and drop-outs. Although preliminary, results showed COMP.ACT led to greater clinical improvements in depression and anxiety, while ACT led to greater improvements in stress and uncompassionate self-responding. Reliable and Significant Change analysis showed that some participants improved significantly (in psychopathological symptoms, valued living and uncompassionate self-responding) in both conditions, while the majority did not change significantly. Conclusions More research is needed to conclude whether explicit self-compassion exercises are useful in ACT for CP. Limitations and implications are further discussed.

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Development of a Storytelling Video Self-Help Intervention Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Major Depression: Open Trial Results

Behavior Modification ◽

10.1177/0145445517738932 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 43 (1) ◽

pp. 56-81 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Brandon A. Gaudiano ◽

Carter H. Davis ◽

Ivan W. Miller ◽

Lisa A. Uebelacker

Keyword(s):

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽

Primary Outcome ◽

Baseline Period ◽

Open Trial ◽

Initial Development ◽

Self Help ◽

Commitment Therapy ◽

Acceptance And Commitment ◽

Clinically Significant ◽

Real Patients

This study involved the initial development and testing of a video self-help intervention called LifeStories, which features real patients describing their use of coping strategies for depression based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. We conducted a baseline-controlled open trial (AB design) of 11 individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction and transportation (i.e., engagement) after watching LifeStories. No significant changes were observed during the 4-week baseline period in terms of interviewer-rated depression severity (primary outcome), but a significant and large effect size improvement was observed at Week 8 postintervention. The majority of participants (54.5%) showed a reliable and clinically significant posttreatment response. Significant improvements also were observed during the intervention period only for self-reported depressive symptoms and aspects of mindfulness (nonreactivity). Qualitative data analysis of participant interviews identified additional areas for improvement and refinement. Future testing in a randomized trial is warranted based on these encouraging results.

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