DOI: 10.1177/02692163231183101 ISSN: 0269-2163

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for people with advanced progressive illness, their caregivers and staff involved in their care: A scoping review

Tilly Gibson Watt, David Gillanders, Juliet A Spiller, Anne M Finucane
  • Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
  • General Medicine

Background:

People with an advanced progressive illness and their caregivers frequently experience anxiety, uncertainty and anticipatory grief. Traditional approaches to address psychological concerns aim to modify dysfunctional thinking; however, this is limited in palliative care, as often concerns area valid and thought modification is unrealistic. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a mindfulness-based behavioural therapy aimed at promoting acceptance and valued living even in difficult circumstances. Evidence on its value in palliative care is emerging.

Aims:

To scope the evidence regarding Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for people with advanced progressive illness, their caregivers and staff involved in their care.

Design:

Systematic scoping review using four databases (Medline, PsychInfo, CINAHL and AMED), with relevant MeSH terms and keywords from January 1999 to May 2023.

Results:

1,373 papers were identified and 26 were eligible for inclusion. These involved people with advanced progressive illness ( n = 14), informal caregivers ( n = 4), palliative care staff ( n = 3), bereaved carers ( n = 3), and mixed groups ( n = 2). Intervention studies ( n = 15) showed that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is acceptable and may have positive effects on anxiety, depression, distress, and sleep in palliative care populations. Observational studies ( n = 11) revealed positive relationships between acceptance and adjustment to loss and physical function.

Conclusion:

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is acceptable and feasible in palliative care, and may improve anxiety, depression, and distress. Full scale mixed-method evaluation studies are now needed to demonstrate effectiveness and cost-effectiveness amongst patients; while further intervention development and feasibility studies are warranted to explore its value for bereaved carers and staff.

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