Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Reducing Interference and Improving Verbal and Visual Working Memory in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease possibly leading to increased interference and difficulty in verbal and visual working memory. The present research attempted to answer the question whether acceptance and commitment therapy would affect interference as well as verbal and visual working memory of MS patients. Method: This is a quasi-experimental research with pretest-posttest and a control group. The statistical population included all the MS patients referring to Ahvaz MS Society in 2018. A total of 30 patients were selected through purposive sampling and randomly divided into experimental and control groups (each containing 15 individuals). The subjects were then examined using the Stroop Test and Wechsler Memory Scale-III. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance. Results: The results showed a significant difference between the two groups in terms of interference (F= 7.48, P≤ 0.01), verbal working memory (F= 24.69, P≤ 0.001), and visual working memory (F= 22.82, P≤ 0.001). Conclusions: This study highlighted how effective ACT was on interference and working memory of MS patients. Thus, clinical MS specialists can use this treatment for their patients to optimize care.