Investigating the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Lifestyle, Psychological Flexibility, and Severity of Symptoms among People with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Determining the Efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Lifestyle, Psychological Flexibility, and Symptom Severity in Individuals with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

A randomized , controlled, parallel- group, phase 2 clinical trial on 42 patients. A table of random numbers is used for randomization.

The study is conducted at the specialized gastroenterology clinic of Shahid Beheshti Hospital, where the intervention group receives Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

Inclusion Criteria:Diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) based on the ROME IV criteria. Age between 18 and 65 years, A minimum of a high school diploma for education. Willingness to maintain a stable type and dosage of current medications throughout the study period, Willingness and provision of informed consent to participate in the study, No current suicidal ideation, No current substance abuse or dependenc , No prior history of psychotherapy. Exclusion Criteria:Receiving any psychological treatment interventions within the last year or during the period of the study, Onset of an acute psychiatric or physical illness during the study, Three or more absences or irregular attendance in sessions,The individual's unwillingness to continue with the study.

The intervention and control groups will consist of individual with Irritable Bowel Syndrome , diagnosed by a gastroenterologist according to the ROME IV criteria

This study examines whether Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can change psychological flexibility , lifestyle, and symptom severity in individuals with IBS. it is expected that lifestyle and psychological flexibility will increase and the symptom severity score will decrease.

In this study, to allocate participants to the experimental and control groups, a simple randomization method was used with a table of random numbers. First, a list of eligible participants was prepared, and each individual was assigned a number. Then, by randomly selecting a starting point in the table of random numbers, the numbers were read in sequence. Based on whether the numbers were even or odd, individuals were allocated to the experimental or control group (even numbers for the experimental group and odd numbers for the control group). This method was implemented to prevent bias in allocation and to increase the internal validity of the research.