مقایسه اثربخشی درمان مبتنی بر پذیرش و تعهد و درمان مبتنی بر خودشفقت‌ورزی بر احساس شرم و احساس تنهایی زنان نابارور

سحر  کیایی درونکلا; محبوبه طاهر; طاهره السادات  میرقائمی

Authors

Sahar kiaei darounkola Department of Psychology, Sha.C., Islamic Azad University, Shahrood, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7561-8580
Mahboobe Taher Department of Psychology, Sha.C., Islamic Azad University, Shahrood, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1320-3643
Tahereh Alsadat Mirghaemi Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Shams Institute of Higher Education, Gonbad-e Kavus, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3143-922X

Keywords:

Infertility, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion, Focused Therapy (CFT), Shame, Loneliness

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy and self-compassion-based therapy on shame and loneliness in infertile women.

Methodology: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest, posttest, and follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of infertile women referring to two specialized infertility clinics in Tehran during 2025–2026. Sixty participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to three equal groups: acceptance and commitment therapy, self-compassion-based therapy, and control group. Each experimental group received eight 90-minute intervention sessions, whereas the control group received no psychological intervention during the study period. Data were collected using the Shame Questionnaire and the Loneliness Questionnaire at pretest, posttest, and two-and-a-half-month follow-up stages. The data were analyzed using mixed analysis of variance.

Findings: The results of mixed analysis of variance indicated that both acceptance and commitment therapy and self-compassion-based therapy significantly reduced shame and loneliness in infertile women at posttest and follow-up. However, direct comparison of the two active treatments showed no statistically significant difference between their effects on shame at posttest and follow-up. Similarly, no significant difference was found between the two interventions in reducing overall loneliness or its components, including romantic, family, social, and emotional loneliness. The effect sizes for the comparisons between the two therapeutic approaches were small, indicating that the two interventions produced relatively equivalent therapeutic outcomes.

Conclusion: Acceptance and commitment therapy and self-compassion-based therapy can both be considered effective third-wave psychological interventions for reducing shame and loneliness among infertile women. The absence of a significant difference between the two approaches suggests that, despite their different theoretical mechanisms, both interventions have comparable potential for alleviating the emotional and interpersonal consequences of infertility. Therefore, integrating these interventions into psychological support services in infertility treatment centers is recommended.

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