The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Optimism about Life and Psychological Well-Being in Infertile Women
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Background: Fertility has been defined as the ability to reproduce, and it requires the ability to start and maintain a pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on optimism about life and the psychological well-being of infertile women.
Methods: The present study was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design, control group, and follow-up period. The statistical population of this study included all patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) referred to infertility treatment centers in Tehran, Iran, in autumn 2018. The participants consisted of 30 individuals who were randomly divided into an experimental group and control group (n = 15). Measurement tools included the Revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R) (1985) and Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-being (SPWB) (1980). The experimental group was exposed to the intervention in 8 sessions (90 minutes each), and then, both groups were tested. Furthermore, the follow-up was conducted 1 month later. The collected data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).
Results: The results showed that ACT increased optimism, positive relationships with others, independence, environmental mastery, personal growth, purposefulness in life, self-acceptance, and psychological well-being (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: It can be concluded that ACT can reduce the suffering of infertile women and improve psychological optimism and well-being among them through intellectual acceptance, cognitive impairment, and the pursuit of value-driven behaviors. Thus, it can be used during pregnancy.
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Copyright (c) 2019 Shirin Haji Adineh, Solmaz Rafeian, Sayed Morteza Tavakoli, Ali Farisat
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