Values-based action in fibromyalgia: results from a randomized pilot of acceptance and commitment therapy

Abstract

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is a chronic pain condition characterized by pain, fatigue, and nonrestorative sleep. The disruptive symptoms of FMS are associated with reductions in quality of life related to family, intimate relationships, and work. The present study was part of a randomized pilot study of an 8-week Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention compared to education in a sample of 28 women with FMS. The Chronic Pain Values Inventory was administered at baseline, postintervention, and 12 week follow-up. Both groups showed significant improvements in family success, which were maintained at follow-up. Groups showed a differential pattern of success in work. The ACT group demonstrated significant, maintained improvements in success in intimate relationships, while the education group reported no changes over time. Findings suggest that both interventions may lead to improvements in valued living; however different interventions may be best suited for certain valued domains. The results of this study indicate that FMS patients are able to improve their success in family and intimate relationships and losses in these areas are not necessarily permanent.

Psychological flexibility, acceptance and commitment therapy, and chronic pain

“…These studies have utilized prospective cohort designs [6], non-randomized controlled treatment designs [7], and randomized controlled trials [8-10,11 , [12][13][14][15]16 ]. Average effect size estimates associated with ACT have been in the medium to large range for pretreatment to post-treatment and pre-treatment to followup improvements on a number of outcome domains, including depression, physical and social functioning, and healthcare utilization [17].…”

Change in fatigue in acceptance and commitment therapy‐based treatment for chronic pain and its association with enhanced psychological flexibility

“…ACT and related approaches have been widely used in the treatment for chronic pain, (Hann & McCracken, 2014;Simpson, Mars, & Esteves, 2017;Veehof, Trompetter, Bohlmeijer, & Schreurs, 2016), including in people experiencing chronic pain and fatigue in the context of fibromyalgia (Ljótsson et al, 2014;Luciano et al, 2014;Simister et al, 2018;Steiner, Bogusch, & Bigatti, 2013;Wicksell et al, 2013), and for people whose primary complaint is fatigue (Jacobsen, Kallestad, Landrø, Borchgrevink, & Stiles, 2017). In these studies, ACT appears beneficial for a range of outcomes, such as pain, fatigue severity, the functional impact of fatigue, mood, fibromyalgia symptoms and impact, disability, and quality of life.…”

Acceptance and Commitment Training in the workplace

“…ACTraining is founded on the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) [2], a cognitive-behavioral therapy shown to be efficacious for treating many clinical concerns [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. The ACT model, whether applied in the clinic or the workplace, leads to measurable behavior change and focuses on improving psychological flexibility.…”