Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Positive Psychotherapy on Emotional Self-Regulation of Women With Coronary Heart Disease

Background: Emotional self-regulation can play an important role in reducing the symptoms of coronary heart disease which is a psychosomatic disorder. Objective: This study aims to compare the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and positive psychotherapy on emotional self-regulation of women with coronary heart disease. Methods: This is a randomized clinical trial. Study population consists of all women with coronary heart disease referred to Pasteur Hospital in Qazvin, Iran during 2019-2020. Using a convenience sampling method, 45 women were selected and divided into three groups (two experimental groups and one control group). The intervention program was provided at 8 sessions for each experimental group. Data collection tools were a demographic form, and Ibanez’s Self-regulation Inventory. Participants were followed up for one month after intervention. Collected data were analyzed by ANCOVA and paired t-test. Findings: ACT was effective in increasing emotional self-regulation ability of patients in the post-test and follow-up phases, but the positive psychotherapy had no significant effect on their emotional self-regulation and no significant difference was observed. Conclusion: ACT is an appropriate and effective method for women with coronary heart disease and can be used as a complementary therapy in related medical centers.