The Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on the Sense of Coherence, Locus of Control, and Posttraumatic Growth in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on the Sense of Coherence (SOC), Locus of Control (LoC), and Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). These factors were explored according to the prevalence of psychological problems in these patients. Methods: This was a quasiexperimental study with a pretest, posttest and a control group design. The study population included all patients with MS from Iran rsquo;s MS Association in Tehran City, Iran. The study sample included 30 patients (n=15/group) who were selected by purposive sampling technique and according to the study inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study participants were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. After obtaining necessary permissions and informed consent, a pretest was initially performed. The instruments used in this study were lrm;the 29item Antonovsky rsquo;s Sense of Coherence Scale; the 29item Julian Rotter rsquo;s Locus of Control Scale, and the 21item Tedeschi and Calhoun rsquo;s Posttraumatic Growth scale. Several studies supported the reliability and validity of these scales. The experimental group received 8 sessions (once a week, each session: 1.5 h) of group Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). However, the control group received no intervention. After the intervention, according to the instructions, the posttest was performed. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS V. 21. Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) was performed to examine betweengroup differences data. Results: The study findings indicated that ACT was effective on the SoC; however, it had no significant effect on the LoC and PTG (P=0.05). Discussion: Participation in ACT sessions could enhance the SoC of patients with MS. Accordingly, it can be improved by accepting and enhancing these patients rsquo; commitment to change through psychotherapy approach and increasing their SoC.