Compare the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on Perceived Stress in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on perceived stress in people with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental design with two experimental groups and one control group with pre-test, post-test and two-month follow-up. This study was conducted in 2019 in the statistical population of individuals with NAFLD in Tehran. For this study, 45 patients with NAFLD were selected by purposive sampling and were randomly assigned to three groups, and the pre-test was received from them. Then, each of experimental groups underwent to intervention during two months of ten sessions, and the control group received the typical routine interventions from medical centers. Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al, 1983) was conducted in the all of three stages of measurement. Data analysis was done by repeated measures analysis of variance (RMANOVA) with SPSS-22 software.  Findings: The results of the analysis showed that ACT and MBCT interventions during the certain time were effectively reduced perceived stress in NAFLD patients, where in the control group there was no significant change (P < 0.001) and overall psychological interventions up to 37% reduce stress. Conclusion: Finally, it can be concluded that psychological interventions with proper capacities and presenting favorable changes have an effective role in reducing stress in people with NAFLD.