The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Depression and Mental Health of Patients with Migraine

Depression and mental health of migraine patients

Background: In patients with migraine, depression is associated with decreased mental health. However, behavioral interventions have rarely been investigated. The present study examines the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on depression and mental health of patients with migraine.

Methods: The study was experimental, with a pre-test, a post-test, and a control group. The statistical population of this research was all people having migraine who visited Mehr and Tabib clinics in Tehran, Iran, from October to November 2022. In this study, 30 eligible patients were selected and invited to take part purposefully. Researchers randomly divided the participants into two groups: ACT according to the protocol of Timmerby et al. (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15). Eight 90-minute weekly counseling sessions were provided to the experimental group, while the control group received no intervention. Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were administered. SPSS software conducted a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA).

Results: The results of ACT intervention had a positive and significant effect on depression (P < 0.001, F = 28.49, η² = 0.496) and mental health (P < 0.001, F = 33.26, η² = 0.543) in patients with migraine. The highest effect size (η² = 0.54) was associated with mental health, which shows that 54% of the variance in the mental health variable between the experimental and control groups was because of the ACT.

Conclusion: ACT reduced depression and increased mental health in patients with migraine. Therefore, ACT is recommended for these patients to improve their mental health and quality of life (QOL).