Examining the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on the Cognitive Functions of Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Suleiman Ibrahim  Mohammad; Asokan  Vasudevan; Zhanna  Gardanova; Hamza Fadhel  Hamzah; Bahira Abdulrazzaq  Mohammed; KDV  Prasad

doi:10.18502/ijps.v21i1.20563

Suleiman Ibrahim Mohammad Department of Electronic Marketing and Social Media, Economic and Administrative Sciences Zarqa University, 13110 Zarqa, Jordan.
Asokan Vasudevan Faculty of Business and Communications, INTI International University, 71800 Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
Zhanna Gardanova Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
Hamza Fadhel Hamzah Department of Medical Laboratories Technology, AL-Nisour University College, Baghdad, Iraq.
Bahira Abdulrazzaq Mohammed Department of of technical engineering, Al-Hadi University College, Baghdad, 10011, Iraq.
KDV Prasad Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Symbiosis International (Deemed University) (SIU), Hyderabad, India.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijps.v21i1.20563

Keywords: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; Attention; Cognitive Function; Lupus Erythematosus Disseminatus; Psychotherapy

Abstract

Objective: This study was administrated with the goal of examining the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on cognitive functions of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Method: In a single-blind experimental research, 90 adult patients with lupus were randomly divided into the three ACT (n = 30), general health education (GHE) (n = 30) and waitlist (n = 30) groups. Both treatment groups received individual treatment with a specific protocol for four weeks. Before and after treatment, all participants were assessed using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Stroop Color Word Test (SCWT).

Results: Both ACT and GHE groups had a significantly better post-intervention cognitive performance compared to the waitlist group in terms of WCST and SCWT scores (P < 0.05). Cohen’s d for the effects of ACT on WCST total errors and completed categories were 0.86 and 0.80, respectively. Cohen’s d for the effect of ACT on SCWT was 0.70. Furthermore, Cohen’s d for the effects of GHE on WCST total errors and completed categories were 0.65 and 0.58, respectively. Also, Cohen’s d for the effect of GHE on SCWT was 0.55. The ACT and GHE interventions differed significantly only in total errors on WCST, with the ACT group demonstrating significantly better cognitive functioning at post-intervention (P = 0.04).

Conclusion: The ACT approach has a large effect on the cognitive performance of lupus patients, while the GHE has a moderate effect on these functions. Therefore, these intervention methods, especially ACT, could be considered alongside usual treatment methods as suitable options to improve the daily affairs of people with lupus.