The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Emotional Regulation and Psychological Distress in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain and COVID-19 Anxiety

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic brought many psychological consequences for patients with chronic low back pain. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on emotional regulation and psychological distress in patients with chronic low back pain and COVID-19 anxiety. Methods: This was a semi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population included patients with chronic low back pain in Tehran in 2021. The study sample included 30 patients with chronic low back pain who were selected using the convenience sampling method and were randomly assigned in to two experimental and control groups. The collection tools included COVID-19 anxiety (Alipour et al (2020)), emotional regulation (Gross and John (2003)), and psychological distress (Lovibond and Lovibond (1995)) questionnaires. The experimental group received 8 ninety-minute sessions of therapy based on acceptance and commitment, but the control group did not receive any intervention. Research data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation), normality (Shapiro-Wilk test), multivariate covariance analysis, univariate covariance analysis test in Mancova text, and Levene's, Box's and Bartlett's chi-square tests at a significance level of 0.05 through SPSS 24 software. Results: The results of the present study showed that acceptance and commitment therapy has significantly increased emotion regulation (reevaluation and suppression) and reduced psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress) in patients suffering from chronic low back pain and COVID-19 anxiety (p <  0.05). Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that acceptance and commitment therapy has been able to reduce the psychological problems of patients with chronic low back pain and COVID-19 anxiety. For this purpose, it is suggested to hold workshops and develop programs by psychologists and pain specialists for patients with chronic low back pain.