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Living with pain: Effects of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based online intervention on depression and positive mental health.

Schäffer, Sarah (2013) Living with pain: Effects of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based online intervention on depression and positive mental health.

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Abstract:Background: Chronic pain is a major health issue in the Netherlands, and often has a negative impact on a person’s mental health. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches people to handle pain by increasing their psychological flexibility on the basis of acceptance and mindfulness. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a self-help online ACT intervention for chronic pain patients on depression and positive mental health. Method: 238 participants suffering from chronic pain were randomly assigned to 1. the experimental condition Living with pain, 2. the minimal intervention condition Expressive writing, or 3. the control condition waiting list. Measurements were obtained before, at the end of, and three months after the end of the intervention using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression (HADS-D), and the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF). Results: The experimental condition did not show significantly more progress than the other conditions across time. However, scores on the HADS-D slightly decreased and scores on the MHC-SF slightly increased. The effects were maintained over a three months follow-up period. Conclusion: Despite small effect sizes it can be concluded that the self-help online intervention Living with pain benefits positive mental health and reduces depression.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:77 psychology
Programme:Psychology BSc (56604)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/64150
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