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

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.

Automated summary

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is acceptable and feasible in palliative care, and may improve anxiety, depression, and distress. Further evaluation studies are needed to demonstrate its effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, while development and feasibility studies are warranted to explore its value for bereaved carers and staff.