Background: Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a prevalent and debilitating condition affecting approximately 33% of the general population. It often leads to reduced pain self-efficacy and increased psychological distress, including anxiety and depression. Finding effective treatment methods to address both physical and psychological symptoms is essential. Objectives: This study examined the effectiveness of group Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in improving pain self-efficacy and reducing psychological distress in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Methods: A randomized controlled trial with three assessment points — baseline, post-treatment, and two-month follow-up — was conducted. The study population included all individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain referred to Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan during the autumn and winter of 2023 - 2024. By using G Power software, forty-four individuals (22 in the intervention group and 22 in the control group) were selected and randomly assigned to either group. All participants completed the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) at three time points: before the sessions, immediately after the end, and at a 2-month follow-up. The intervention group received eight weekly 90-minute ACT sessions. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) with repeated measures in SPSS-22. Results: The results showed that group ACT significantly increased pain self-efficacy and reduced depression, anxiety, and stress in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that ACT group may be used alongside medical treatment to improve outcomes in patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions. However, given the study’s limited and homogeneous sample, further research is needed to evaluate the generalizability of these findings to broader and more diverse populations.
Amiri et al. (Mon,) studied this question.