Comparative Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) on Depression, Alexithymia, Quality of Life, and Mental Health in Women with Breast Cancer

Abstract

Objective: This study examines the comparative effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) on depression, alexithymia, quality of life and mental health in women with breast cancer. Methods and Materials: A randomized controlled trial with a pre-test-post-test design was conducted, involving 36 participants assigned to ACT, ISTDP, and control groups. The participants completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (1994), Beck Depression Inventory (1996), WHOQOL-BREF Questionnaire, and Witt and Weir Mental Health Scale (1983) before and after the interventions. The experimental groups received the respective ACT and ISTDP interventions. Data were analyzed using MANCOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc tests. Findings: Both ACT and ISTDP interventions significantly improved depression, alexithymia, quality of life, and mental health scores (p<0.05), with no significant differences between the therapies in effectiveness. Conclusion: These findings indicate that both ACT and ISTDP may effectively enhance mental health and quality of life in women with breast cancer, supporting their use as valuable components of comprehensive cancer care.