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Agency ontwikkeling tijdens een behandeling op basis van ACT bij chronische pijnrevalidanten

Tammes, Martine (2011) Agency ontwikkeling tijdens een behandeling op basis van ACT bij chronische pijnrevalidanten.

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Abstract:This present study, based on weekly interviews, examined the development of five patients with chronic pain during an eight-week in patient treatment based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in a rehabilitation center. Agency is a term used in narrative psychology. Increase in agency during psychotherapy is the essence of psychological development in that therapy. In this study agency is linked to the principles of ACT. Agency here is defined as the perception of an individual action that is the consequence of his own intention, without avoiding negative private events. Agency is divided into three scales: Acceptance, Function of behavior and Application. All patients show an increase in Agency over the course of treatment. Only two patients had significant differences in Agency between interviews. The differences in the increase in Acceptance are significant at the same two patients. One patient has the largest difference early in the treatment and another patient has the significant difference between the second and the last interview of the treatment. This study could not demonstrate that Acceptance especially develops in the second half of the treatment. It rather seems to increase early in the treatment. One possible reason is that the focus of treatment in this rehabilitation center is at the beginning of treatment acceptance oriented. Application and Function of behavior are increasing, but the differences in these scales are not significant between the interviews. This study is designed qualitative. To claim a increase is an increase an quantitative approach is necessary. Because the number of interviews is larger compared to the number of situations, it is difficult to obtain a significant difference between the interviews. A good baseline measurement, possibly before patients get in contact with the ACT principles, will be more likely to give significant results. A research design with attention to nonverbal signals by video recording the interviews together with a three instead of a five point scale may give a higher interrater reliability in future research. If the interviews are carried out by a health care worker the dilemma of intervening in the treatment by the interview can be resolved. Future research of the development in an ACT treatment is needed to further improve ACT treatment, so it can be determined which principle is to be used at what stage.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:77 psychology
Programme:Psychology MSc (66604)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/61696
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