Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Resiliency and Alexithymia of Somatic Symptoms

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of acceptance and commitment therapy on the resiliency and alexithymia of the patients with Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD). Methods: The present research had a quasi-experimental design with pre-test post-test and a control group. The study population included all patients with SSD that referred to health care centers of Ahvaz City, in 2016. A total of 30 patients were selected through convenience sampling method and randomized to the experimental and waiting group (each group 15 persons). The experimental group received ACT sessions for 7 weeks continuously (each session lasting 90 minutes), and the control group was put on a waiting list. Groups completed the resiliency questionnaire and Toronto Alexithymia Scale in the pre-test and post-test. The obtained data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS V. 21. Results: The findings show a significant difference between the average scores of resiliency (F=21.97) and alexithymia (F=19.79) of the experimental and control groups in the post-test stage. So, the method of group therapy based on acceptance and commitment significantly increased resiliency and decreased alexithymia of the patients with SSD (P<0.01). Conclusion: According to the results, therapists and clinical psychologists can use this method to increase resiliency and decrease alexithymia of the patients with SSD.