Effectiveness of Bioenergy Economy-based Health Improvement (BEHI) versus Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on the Psychological Comorbidities and Quality of Life in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

Background Inflammatory IBD has a significant adverse influence on the physical, psychological, family, and social dimensions of patients. This research aims to compare the effectiveness of ACT and BEHI on perceived stress, quality of life, sense of coherence, and D personality type in patients with IBD. Methods This study used a quasi-experimental method with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design with a control group. A total of 37 patients were randomly selected based on a random allocation system. Data were collected by WHOQOL-BREF, the Sense of Coherence (SOC) questionnaire, the Type D Personality Questionnaire, and the Perceived Stress Scale (Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)). The first experimental group (n = 12) underwent ACT within eight 90-minute weekly sessions, which lasted eight weeks. The second group (n = 12) experienced bio-energy economy within eight 90-minute weekly sessions, lasting for eight weeks. The control group (n = 13) received no training in this period. Data was analyzed using a mixed variance analysis method. Results Results revealed that perceived stress, quality of life, sense of coherence, and D personality type significantly improved in the post-test and follow-up stages through the ACT and BEHI programs (P < .01). It was found that there was a significant difference between the experimental groups and the control group over time (P < .01). Conclusions It can be concluded the BEHI program was more effective in decreasing perceived stress and D personality type and increasing quality of life than the ACT program. Although the BEHI program improved a sense of coherence, the ACT program was more effective in increasing the sense of coherence in patients.