Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in End-of-Life Care: A Meta-Analysis of Efficacy and Process of Change.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy linked to moderate improvements in quality of life, anxiety, and depression versus controls
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in End-of-Life Care: A Meta-Analysis of Efficacy and Process of Change.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) is an evidence-based, process-oriented psychotherapy that provides palliative care through compassionate, person-centered care for terminal illness.
This study evaluates the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on quality of life (quality of life) and emotional distress and examines the role of process variables (e.g., psychological flexibility).
Systematic review with meta-analysis following searches in PubMed, SCOPUS and PsycInfo for studies measuring quality of life, anxiety/depression symptoms, and process variables in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy interventions.
Psychological flexibility emerged as the strongest predictor of quality of life improvement.
Face-to-face interventions demonstrated better results than remote delivery.
These findings support the clinical relevance of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as an effective approach for addressing psychological distress and improving quality of life in end-of-life care.
Key limitations include self-report bias, high heterogeneity, potential overlap between measures, publication bias for quality of life, and limited sample sizes in some analyses.
High-quality trials are warranted, particularly in non-oncological populations, caregivers, and healthcare professionals.