Effects of acceptance and commitment therapy on psychological and health-related outcomes in stroke patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background Stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide and is frequently accompanied by psychological and functional impairments. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a third-wave behavioral intervention focusing on psychological flexibility, has been increasingly applied in stroke rehabilitation. Although previous reviews have suggested beneficial effects of ACT in stroke patients, whether these benefits persist in the short term after the intervention ends, and the certainty of the evidence, remain unclear. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD420261325108). Randomized controlled trials evaluating ACT in stroke patients were included. Pooled effects were calculated using random-effects models, with separate analyses for post-intervention and follow-up outcomes. Sources of heterogeneity were explored using subgroup analyses and meta-regression. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool, and certainty of evidence was evaluated using the GRADE framework. Results Twenty-two RCTs involving 1,975 participants were included. ACT may be associated with reductions in depressive symptoms (post-intervention: SMD = −1.32, 95% CI: −1.80 to −0.84; follow-up: SMD = −0.76, 95% CI: −1.07 to −0.45) and anxiety symptoms (post-intervention: SMD = −1.36, 95% CI: −1.90 to −0.82; follow-up: SMD = −0.51, 95% CI: −1.42 to 0.40, not significant); depressive symptoms remained statistically significant at follow-up. Heterogeneity was considerable for both outcomes at post-intervention ( I 2 = 93.68% for depression and 93.60% for anxiety), so the pooled estimates represent average effects across studies. ACT may also be associated with improvements in psychological flexibility, quality of life, and sleep quality; however, these outcomes were based on a limited number of studies and showed considerable heterogeneity ( I 2 = 74.68 to 92.26%), so they should be interpreted cautiously. However, no statistically significant effects were observed for activities of daily living, neurological function, or hope. ACT did not appear to increase dropout rates in the available studies ( K = 16; RR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.58–1.69). Meta-regression analyses indicated that intervention duration may not be a significant moderator of treatment effects. The certainty of evidence ranged from very low to moderate, mainly due to risk of bias and inconsistency. Conclusion Acceptance and Commitment Therapy may be a useful adjunctive intervention for improving psychological outcomes in people with stroke. However, evidence for functional recovery remains insufficient. Future high-quality RCTs with standardized protocols, larger samples, and longer follow-up are needed to confirm the long-term effectiveness of ACT. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ , identifer CRD420261325108.