scholarly journals REDUCING DEPRESSION IN PREGNANCY AND POSTPARTUM PERIOD THROUGH ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY: A REVIEW OF DEPRESSION REDUCTION AMONG IRANIAN WOMEN

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (37) ◽  
pp. 232-244
Author(s):  
Nastaranalsadat Hosseini ◽  
Li Lau Poh ◽  
Diana-Lea Baranovich ◽  
Norsafatul Aznin A.Razak
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Postpartum Period ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Iranian Women ◽  
Commitment Therapy ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment ◽  
Pregnancy And Postpartum ◽  
Depression In Pregnancy ◽  
In Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an important event in the life of every woman that is associated with conflicting emotions. Having a newborn baby can be accompanied by hardships and loss of desire, as well as other stresses in life, all of which can have adverse effects on the mental health of the mother and her family. Depression is a common mental disorder in mothers during and after childbirth, which can have negative consequences for mother and baby. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is one of the new treatments with a positive impact on the reduction of depression during pregnancy and afterward. This form of psychotherapy is significant in increasing the psychological flexibilities of women as well as reducing their distress and depressive symptoms during pregnancy and during the postpartum period. Hence this paper aims to review the literature on the concept of depression, its symptoms, and outcomes during pregnancy and the postpartum period, and subsequently, it reviews how ACT can reduce depression, in terms of relevance to Iranian mothers. The studies were selected and identified through online databases from relevant published articles in psychology, psychotherapy, and mental health journals. The reviews of the literature on the ACT and reducing depression in pregnancy and postpartum period were identified from research studies in Iran from 2015 to the present time. This paper highlights the significance of future research into ACT for reducing depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period among Iranian women.

Study Protocol for Implementation of An Internet-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Promoting Mental Health Among Migrant Live-in Caregivers in Canada (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Po-Lun Fung ◽  
Mandana Vahabi ◽  
Masoomeh Moosapoor ◽  
Abdolreza Akbarian ◽  
Josephine Pui-Hing Wong
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Psychological Intervention ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Commitment Therapy ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment

BACKGROUND Psychological distress, isolation, feeling of powerlessness, and limited social support are realities faced by temporary migrant live–in caregivers in Canada. Furthermore, they experience multiple barriers in accessing mental health services due to their long work hours, limited knowledge about health resources, precarious employment, and immigration status. OBJECTIVE Women Empowerment - Caregiver Acceptance & Resilience E-Learning (WE2CARE) project is a pilot intervention research project that aims to promote mental well being and resiliency of migrant live-in caregivers. The objectives include exploring the effectiveness of this program in: (1) reducing psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress); (2) promoting committed actions of self-care; and (3) building mutual support social networks. Further, participants’ satisfaction with the intervention and their perceived barriers and facilitators to practicing the self-care strategies embedded in WE2CARE will be examined. METHODS Thirty-six live- in caregivers residing in Great Toronto Area (GTA) will be recruited and randomly assigned to intervention and waitlist control groups. The intervention group will receive a 6-week web-based psychosocial intervention that will be based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Standardized self-reported surveys will be administered online pre-, post-, and 6-week post-intervention to assess mental distress (DASS 21), psychological flexibility (AAQ-2), mindfulness (CAMS-R) and Multi-System Model of Resilience (MSMR-I). Two focus groups will be held with a subset of participants to explore their feedback on the utility of the WE2CARE program. RESULTS WE2CARE was funded in January 2019 for a year. The protocol was approved by the research ethics boards of Ryerson University (REB 2019-036) in February 2019, and University of Toronto (RIS37623) in May 2019. Data collection started upon ethics approval and was completed by May 2020. A total of 29 caregivers completed the study and 20 participated in the focus groups. Data analyses are in progress and results will be published in 2021. CONCLUSIONS WE2CARE can be a promising approach in reducing stress, promoting resilience, and providing a virtual space for peer emotional support and collaborative learning among socially isolated and marginalized women. The results of this pilot study will inform the adaptation and utility of online delivery of ACT based psychological intervention in promoting mental health among disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. CLINICALTRIAL None

scholarly journals Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A Systematic Literature Review of Prevention and Intervention Programs for Mental Health Difficulties in Children and Young People

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 280-305
Author(s):  
Emma Harris ◽  
Victoria Samuel
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Prevention And Intervention ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Commitment Therapy ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties

BackgroundAcceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is increasingly being used to treat mental health difficulties, however there is a paucity of reviews concerning ACT with children.AimTo examine the literature about ACT interventions for child and adolescent mental well-being.MethodsSearches for articles reporting on ACT interventions to prevent/reduce child mental health difficulties were undertaken. Methodological quality was assessed and a narrative synthesis was used to summarize findings about mental health symptoms and psychological flexibility.ResultsTen articles were identified focusing on prevention and intervention for anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, anorexia nervosa, and trichotillomania. Most studies found that mental health symptoms reduced following an ACT intervention and psychological flexibility increased. However, findings indicate that other active interventions also led to the same changes.ConclusionsACT is a promising intervention for adolescent mental health, although further research is needed to establish whether reductions in mental health symptoms are due to an increase in psychological flexibility.

scholarly journals Efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Daily Life (ACT-DL) in early psychosis: study protocol for a multi-centre randomized controlled trial

Trials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Reininghaus ◽  
Annelie Klippel ◽  
Henrietta Steinhart ◽  
Thomas Vaessen ◽  
Martine van Nierop ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Psychotic Experiences ◽  
Intervention Period ◽  
Commitment Therapy ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Abstract Background Psychotic experiences, social functioning and general psychopathology are important targets for early intervention in individuals with Ultra-High-Risk state (UHR) and a first-episode psychosis (FEP). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a promising, next-generation Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) that aims to modify these targets, but evidence on sustainable change and its underlying mechanisms in individuals’ daily lives remains limited. The aim of the INTERACT study is to investigate the efficacy of a novel ecological momentary intervention, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Daily Life (ACT-DL) in a multi-centre randomised controlled trial of individuals with UHR or FEP. Methods/design In a multi-centre randomised controlled trial, individuals aged 16–65 years with UHR or FEP will be randomly allocated to ACT-DL in addition to treatment as usual (TAU) as the experimental condition or a control condition of TAU only, which will include – for the entire study period – access to routine mental health care and, where applicable, CBT for psychosis (CBTp). Outcomes will be assessed at baseline (i.e. before randomisation), post-intervention (i.e. after the 8-week intervention period), and 6-month and 12-month follow-ups (i.e. 6 and 12 months after completing the intervention period) by blinded assessors. The primary outcome will be distress associated with psychotic experiences, while secondary outcomes will include (momentary) psychotic experiences, social functioning and psychopathology. Process measures to assess putative mechanisms of change will include psychological flexibility, stress sensitivity and reward experiences. In addition, acceptability, treatment adherence and treatment fidelity of ACT-DL will be assessed. Discussion The current study is the first to test the efficacy of ACT-DL in individuals with UHR and FEP. If this trial demonstrates the efficacy of ACT-DL, it has the potential to significantly advance the treatment of people with UHR and FEP and, more generally, provides initial support for implementing mHealth interventions in mental health services. Trial registration Netherlands Trial Register, ID: NTR4252. Registered on 26 September 2013.

scholarly journals Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in a Low-Income Country in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Call for Further Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonas E. Geda ◽  
Janina Krell-Roesch ◽  
Yaphet Fisseha ◽  
Aida Tefera ◽  
Teferra Beyero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Task Sharing ◽  
Commitment Therapy ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment ◽  
Sub Saharan

A worsening trend of critical shortages in senior health care workers across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in sub-Saharan Africa has been documented for decades. This is especially the case in Ethiopia that has severe shortage of mental health professionals. Consistent with the WHO recommended approach of task sharing for mental health care in LMICs, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which is an empirically validated psychological intervention aimed at increasing psychological flexibility, may be delivered by trained laypersons who have a grassroots presence. In this paper, we discuss the need for and potential role of ACT to be delivered by health extension workers (HEWs) to address mental health care needs across Ethiopia. To this end, we also reviewed previous studies that have examined the effectiveness of ACT-based interventions in African countries including in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and South Africa. All studies revealed significant improvements of various mental health-related outcome measures such as decreased psychological distress and depressive symptoms, or increased subjective wellbeing and life satisfaction in the groups that received an ACT-based intervention. However, to date, there is no study that applied ACT in Ethiopia. Thus, more research is warranted to examine the effectiveness and, if proven successful, to scale up a task sharing approach of an ACT-based intervention being delivered by trained HEWs at a grassroots level, possibly paving the way for an innovative, sustainable mental health service in Ethiopia as well as other African LMICs.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document