The effect of acceptance and commitment therapy on anxiety and depression in patients with cancer: A systematic review

Depression and anxiety are common problems in patients with cancer which may interfere with the daily activities of these patients. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a type of third-wave behavioral that increases psychological flexibility in relation to personal events. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ACT on the psychological distress of patients with cancer. In this study, a systematic review was conducted by searching the PubMed, Embase, Science Direct, Cochrane, CINHAL, Google Scholar, Scopus, SID, Mag Iran databases with no lower time limit and until May 2020. A total of 15 studies entered the final review with the total sample size of 965 of which 470, and 495 were in the ACT, and the comparison groups respectively. The results of the study showed that ACT in all studies reduced the mean score of anxiety and depression after treatment, as well as during follow-up. This reduction was significant in most studies. The present systematic review study showed that ACT can be used as an appropriate intervention in improving the psychological state of patients with cancer. In most studies that measured the effect size, the effect of the intervention on anxiety and depression was observed.