Can Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Increase Rehabilitation Adherence for the Treatment of Sport Injury?

• Main Author: Perret, Kristin A
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2014
• Subjects: Clinical psychology; Physical therapy
• ISBN: 1321190190; 9781321190199

Physical activity has many benefits, however, an equally laden 'dark side' exists—injury. Adherence to the rehabilitation regimen is essential for a successful treatment outcome. Adherence behaviors were conceptualized using Self-regulation Theory, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in the current study. From an ACT perspective, language is seen as a discriminative stimulus for operant behaviors. This study was intended to teach the athlete to accept what is (e.g., injury) and engage in adherent behaviors. Seven athletes, already engaging in physical therapy, were recruited for this study. A single-subject design was utilized. A one-week baseline was completed prior to six-weeks of an individual ACT intervention and a four-week follow-up. The Rehabilitation Adherence Measure for Athletic Training, Psychological Inflexibility in Pain Scale, Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire, 5-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, and Acceptance & Action Questionnaire-2nd edition were administered throughout. Atypically, all subjects completed, or met the benchmarks of "success", in their rehabilitation before or within 10 days of their initial physician-estimated time frames. Five of the subjects exhibited increased rehabilitation adherence from baseline to treatment, and four maintained this by follow-up. Decreased experiential avoidance was partially supported both from baseline to treatment and baseline to follow-up. Furthermore, the decrease of psychological inflexibility in pain was largely supported on both subscales from baseline to treatment and baseline to follow-up. Only partial support was achieved for decreasing subjects' cognitive fusion across phases. There was strong support for an increase of mindfulness from baseline to treatment, and partial support of its maintenance at follow-up.