The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on the Psychological Consequences of Anxiety, Pain Intensity, and Fatigue in Women with Fibromyalgia: Study with the Effect of Waiting

Background and Objective: Fibromyalgia syndrome is associated with major psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and debilitating fatigue. This study aimed to determine the effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on anxiety, chronic fatigue, and pain intensity in women with fibromyalgia with the effect of waiting. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design was conducted on 40 patients of Bouali Hospital in Tehran, Iran, in 2019. The samples were selected by the available sampling method and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The subjects completed Beck Anxiety, McGill Pain, and Krupp Fatigue questionnaires before and after Acceptance and Commitment Therapy training. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 22) using analysis of covariance and repeated measures. Results: The results of analysis of covariance showed that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy reduced anxiety ( F=20.92, P<0.001), fatigue (F=13.66, P=0.001), and pain intensity (F=6.17, P=0.019) in patients with fibromyalgia, which was significant (P<0.001). Conclusion: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy through the creation and development of psychological acceptance and flexibility, can reduce patients' psychological damage and lead to a decrease in anxiety, pain intensity, and fatigue in women with fibromyalgia.