Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment-Based Treatment on the Psychological Well-being of Chemical Veterans in Kermanshah, Iran

Abstract

One of the areas of veterans’ lives that may be affected by war and its long-term consequences is psychological well-being, which demonstrates an individual’s ability to understand the purpose of life and the positive consequences of personal growth. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment-based treatment on the psychological well-being of chemical veterans. Materials & Methods In this quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design with a control group, 50 chemical warfare veterans of Kermanshah in 2017 were selected by purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The research tool was Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale. Acceptance and commitment therapy training was performed in 10 sessions of 45 minutes for the experimental group. Data were analyzed by SPSS 22 statistical software using multivariate analysis of covariance. Findings Acceptance and commitment based therapy in the experimental group improved the subscales scores of positive relationships with others, mastery of the environment, purposeful living and self-acceptance (p<0.001) and autonomy and personal growth (p<0.002). Conclusion Acceptance and commitment therapy training improves the level of psychological well-being in chemical veterans.