Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on the Quality of Life in Infertile Women During Treatment: A Randomized Control Trial
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Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on the quality of life of infertile women during the treatment. Materials and Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial that was conducted on 40 infertile women admitted to the clinics of Arak, Iran. They were selected through a convenience sampling technique and were randomly assigned to intervention (n=20) and control (n=20) groups. The Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQoL) Questionnaire was used as a data collection tool, which was completed before and one month after the intervention. The counseling group was provided with eleven 90-minute sessions of ACT twice a week. Then, the data were analyzed using SPSS 23 through the chi-square test and independent samples test. Results: Based on the results, there was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the quality of life in ACT and control groups before and one month after the intervention (P<0.05). Conclusions: In general, it seems that ACT improves the infertile women’s quality of life and this treatment can be used for alleviating the quality of life of these women taking into account the high incidence of infertility.
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The literature suggests that ACT is a potentially suitable approach and an effective treatment for patients dealing with infertility.
“Thus, the literature suggests that ACT is a potentially suitable approach and an effective treatment for patients dealing with infertility (Pinto-Gouveia etal., 2012; Cunha etal., 2016; Rahimi etal., 2019; Hosseinpanahi etal., 2020).”
From Mapping acceptance and commitment therapy outcomes in the context of infertility: a systematic review (2024) · cites this paper as Rahimi et al., 2019
Studies in the Middle East have applied ACT to infertility-related distress with promising results.
“To date, studies conducted in the Middle East have applied ACT to infertility-related distress with promising results,38–40 though it has yet to be tested in North America.”
From Infertility-related distress and clinical targets for psychotherapy: A qualitative study (2021) · cites this paper as [39]
There have been only three studies from the Middle East testing ACT for individuals experiencing infertility, with promising results.
“To date, there have been only three studies from the Middle East testing the use of ACT for individuals experiencing infertility, with promising results [14–16].”
From Acceptance and commitment therapy adapted for women with infertility: a pilot study of the Infertility ACTion program. (2024) · cites this paper as [16]
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Cites
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“Although many studies have so far approved the effectiveness of ACT (15-17,20-22), limited data are available regarding its effect on infertility and the quality of life of women (20,21,23).”
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“Based on the results of another study, ACT contributed to increasing the quality of life, general health, vitality, and the mental health of infertile women (12).”
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“Therefore, infertility influences many aspects of their lives such as their psychological, physical, and social well-being (8).”
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“Teaching different methods of challenging by unreasonable thoughts and choosing an appropriate approach to the problem, which is known as “cognitive defusion” in ACT, can affect the quality of the life of infertile couples through affecting these aspects (11) The physical aspect (i.”
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“80, the sample size was determined 20 patients in each counseling, control group and based on the recommendation of reliable scientific references (24).”
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“This type of flexibility includes 6 core processes as acceptance, mindfulness, contact with the present moment, cognitive diffusion, values, and committed action (14).”
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“The ACT is used for treating anger (17), chronic pain, drug abuse, and many other problems as well (18,19).”
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“Therefore, infertility has more negative effects on the quality of life and anxiety among women when compared to men (6).”
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“The content of the counseling sessions are summarized in Table 1 (26).”
Background
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Familiarity with the concept of creative helplessness; 2. Hungry tiger metaphor Third 1. Creative hopelessness continued 2. Tug-of-war with a monster Fourth 1. Control is a problem; 2. Polygraph metaphor Fifth 1. Control is a problem; 2. Two scales metaphor; 3. The key to fighting and clean versus dirty discomfort Sixth 1. Control is a problem; 2. Chocolate cake metaphor; 3. Mindfulness with conscious breathing exercises Seventh 1. Defusin from unpleasant thoughts and feelings; 2. Numbers metaphor; 3.Passengers on the bus metaphor Eighth 1. Defusion; 2. Willingness and acceptance; 3. Lion metaphor; 4. Parade practice; 5. Mindfulness training Ninth 1. Defusion; 2. Self as the context; 3. Gravestone practice; 4. Relation between goals and values Tenth 1. Values review; 2. Self as the context; 3. Chessboard metaphor; 4. Beggar metaphor; 5. Stating values and commitment Eleventh 1. Reviewing and summarizing the materials References
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“Likewise, Rahimi et al. (2019), demonstrated increased quality of life following an ACT intervention in a sample of women.”
InfluentialA scoping review of the psychosocial aspects of infertility in the Middle East
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فاعلیة العلاج بالتقبل والالتزام فی خدمة الفرد فی تحسین السلوک الاجتماعی لدى الأطفال مجهولی النسب
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جبران, م. ع. (2023) · Maǧallaẗ Al-H̲idmaẗ Al-Iǧtimāʿiyyaẗ · doi:10.21608/egjsw.2023.190907.1156
الهذلي, م. (2023) · Mağallaẗ Banhā Lil-ʿulūm Al-Insāniyyaẗ · doi:10.21608/bjhs.2023.232101.1148
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Third wave psychological therapy and infertility: A systematic review
Tavousi, S. A., Rasti-Barzoki, A., khakpour, Z., & Mohammadi, A. H. (2026) · Geopsychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.geopsy.2026.100097
- Authors
- Rahimi, E., Attarha, M., & Majidi, A.
- Affiliations
- Arak University of Medical Sciences (IR)
- University of Isfahan (IR)
- Venue
- International Journal of Women's Health and Reproduction Sciences
- Published
- 2018-09-19
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 483-489
- ISSN
- 2330-4456 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2983503530
- Cited by
- 14
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3
- FWCI
- 0.80
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- International Journal of Women s Health and Reproduction Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Arak University of Medical Sciences
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Reproductive Health and Technologies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Keywords
- acceptance and commitment therapy, infertility, quality of life, infertile women, infertility treatment, psychological counseling
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