Community Health Journal

Community Health Journal

Comparing the Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Sleep Quality of Adolescents with Gastrointestinal Disorders

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
S Hayatloo 1
F Farshbaf Manisefat 2
M Etemadi-Nia 2
1 PhD Student of General Psychology, Dept. of Psychology, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran.
2 Assistant Prof., Dept. of Psychology, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran.
10.22123/chj.2025.471674.2113
Abstract
Introduction: In addition to the quality of life of people with digestive disorders, sleep problems impose a great burden on social services and health care. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and brief cognitive-behavioral therapy (BCBT) on sleep quality of adolescents with gastrointestinal disorders.
Material and Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design and a control group with a 2-month follow-up. All adolescents with gastrointestinal disorders referred to Milad Hospital in Tehran in 2023 (168 people) formed the statistical population of the study; out of which 45 people were selected by convenience sampling and randomly assigned to three equal groups of 15. Data collection was done using demographic information checklist and PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) by Buysse. Therapeutic interventions were applied during 8 sessions (one session of 90 minutes) for the experimental groups. The control group did not receive any intervention. Data were analyzed by two-way repeated measures ANOVA.
Results: There was no significant difference between the effectiveness of these two treatments (p>0.05). ACT and BCBT improved the subjective sleep quality (F=7.83, η=0.272), sleep delay (F=6.73, η=0.243), sleep duration (F=6.98, η=0.187), sleep efficiency (F=8.14, η=0.279), sleep disturbance (F=8.69, η=0.293), use of sleeping drugs (F=12.10,  η=0.174), daytime dysfunction (F=9.49, η=0.311), and overall sleep quality (F=43.07, η=0.447) in the patients with digestive disorders compared to the control group (p<0.05).
Conclusion: According to the results, active specialists in the field of gastrointestinal disorders can consider the use of aforementioned treatments alongside common treatments to improve the sleep quality of these patients.
Keywords
Acceptance and commitment therapy
Brief cognitive-behavioral therapy
Sleep quality
Gastrointestinal disorders
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Community Health Journal
Volume 18, Issue 4
Spring 2025
Pages 39-51