Systematic review on the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in the psychological treatment of cancer patients

Abstract

Introduction: Although many studies have been published that have tried to demonstrate the efficacy of different psychological treatments in patients with cancer; to date, the available evidence on the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in these patients has not been reviewed. Objetive: The aim is to systematically analyze the empirical evidence on ACT in the psychological treatment of patients with cancer. Method: A search was made in PubMed, Science Direct, Medline, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, Journal of Contextual Psychology, and Cochrane Library databases. Results: Among the 108 articles found, a total of 8 were selected for the review, which followed an experimental or quasi-experimental design in adult patients diagnosed with cancer treated with ACT. Conclusions: The results, although heterogeneous, suggest improvements in the medium - long term after ACT intervention in the symptoms of anxiety, depression, acceptance, quality of life, distress and psychological flexibility. In addition, ACT has been found to be more effective compared to other psychological therapies. Thus, despite the limitations found in this study, promising results have been obtained for future reviews and / or meta-analyzes.