The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Perceived Pain and Treatment Adherence in Patients with Fibromyalgia

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Health & Clinical Psychology, Ka.C., Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran

2 Department of Psychology, Ka.C., Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran

3 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/jmpr.2026.70025.6882

Abstract

Fibromyalgia is a chronic musculoskeletal pain syndrome characterized by widespread pain, tender points, and fatigue. Although it affects the psycho-behavioral aspect of the individual, there is no specific treatment for it. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on perceived pain and treatment adherence in patients with fibromyalgia. The study was quasi-experimental, employing a pretest–posttest design with a control group and a three-month follow-up period. All patients with fibromyalgia who were referred to the rehabilitation clinic of Modarres Hospital in Tehran during 2024–2025 constituted the study population. Thirty participants were selected using purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two equal groups of 15 participants. Data were collected using the McGill Pain Questionnaire (McGill, 2009) and the Adherence Questionnaire (SeyedFatemi et al., 2018). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) was implemented over eight weekly sessions, each lasting 90 minutes. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a mixed-design repeated-measures analysis of variance. The mean perceived pain score and its dimensions (sensory perception, emotional perception, pain assessment, and miscellaneous pain) in the experimental group improved significantly after the intervention compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Acceptance and commitment therapy was beneficial in increasing treatment adherence in subjects in the experimental group,unlike the control group (p < 0.05), and the effects of this program on the dependent variables persisted during the three-month follow-up period (p < 0.05). These findings further clarify the role of psycho-behavioral constructs in fibromyalgia and highlight the need to use acceptance and commitment therapy to improve the condition of fibromyalgia patients.

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Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Modern Psychological Researches

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 07 August 2026

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  • Receive Date: 14 January 2026
  • Revise Date: 04 February 2026
  • Accept Date: 09 February 2026

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