Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on PsychologicalDistress, Alexithymia, and Spiritual Health inCardiovascular Disease

Background: cardiovascular disease (cvd) can be aggravated due to stress, depression, anxiety, emotionaland spiritual problems.objectives: the primary objective of this study was to assess the impact of acceptance and commitmenttherapy (act) on psychological distress, alexithymia, and spiritual health among women with cvd.materials & methods: the current research adopted a randomized controlled clinical trial, employing apre-test-post-test design along with a control group. the statistical population comprised women with cvdresiding in the 6th district of tehran during august and september 2021. the research sample comprised30 women with cvd who were selected using purposive sampling and divided into experimental (n=15)and control groups (n=15). the experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of act, but thecontrol group did not receive any intervention. the data collection process included utilizing questionnairesto measure psychological distress, toronto alexithymia, and spiritual health. the data collected weresubsequently subjected to analysis using multivariate analysis of covariance spss software, version 24.results: the results showed that act compared to the control group significantly decreased anxiety(f=34.71, p=0.001, η2=0.63), stress (f=30.14, p=0.001, η2=0.60), depression (f=48.34, p=0.001, η2=0.71),difficulty identifying feelings (f=28.80, p=0.001, η2=0.59), difficulty describing feelings (f=44.30, p=0.001,η2=0.68), externally oriented thinking (f=36.50, p=0.001, η2=0.68), and increases existential health (f=37.69,p=0.001, η2=0.66), and religious health (f=24.56, p=0.001, η2=0.55) in women with cvd (p<0.01).conclusion: act offers promising prospects for improving the psychological, emotional, and spiritualhealth of women living with cvd. by promoting acceptance, emotional awareness, and committed action,act empowers women to cope effectively with psychological distress, address alexithymia, and nurture theirspiritual well-being.