Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39737649›Full record

Trial reportMuscle & nerve2025

Long-Term Outcomes From a Randomized Controlled Trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Compared to Standard Medical Care for Improving Quality of Life in Muscle Disorders.

Christopher D Graham, Michael Rose, Victoria Edwards, Chiara Vari, Nicola O'Connell, Emma Taylor, Lance M McCracken, Aleksander Radunovic, Wojtek Rakowicz, Sam Norton and 1 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled TrialComparative Study
In one paragraph

Trial report in Muscle & nerve, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Codeveloping a Novel Intervention for People With Post-COVID Condition: The Balance-ACT Study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Christopher D GrahamDepartment of Psychological Sciences & Health, Graham Hills Building, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8456-9154
Michael RoseDepartment of Neurology, King's College Hospital, London, UK.
Victoria EdwardsDepartment of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Chiara VariDepartment of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Nicola O'ConnellDepartment of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Emma TaylorDepartment of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Lance M McCrackenDepartment of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Aleksander RadunovicBarts and the London MND Centre, Royal London Hospital, London, UK.
Wojtek RakowiczWessex Neurological Service, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Sam NortonDepartment of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Trudie ChalderDepartment of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0775-1045

Funding

National Institute for Health and Care Research
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

INTRODUCTION/

aimsA previous randomized controlled trial showed that guided self-help acceptance and commitment therapy plus standard medical care (ACT+SMC) was superior to standard medical care alone (SMC) for improving quality of life (QoL) and mood at 9-weeks post randomization in a sample of people with muscle disorders (MD). This follow-up study evaluated whether these effects were maintained in the longer term alongside individual patterns of response.

methodsThe original study was a two-arm parallel group randomized controlled trial, which compared ACT+SMC to SMC. The primary outcome of QoL was assessed with the Individualized Neuromuscular Quality of Life Questionnaire. We recruited people with different MDs from UK National Health Service clinics and patient registries. In this follow-up study, we re-administered all outcome measures to participants at 6 months post randomization.

resultsQuestionnaires were completed by 109 participants (70.3% of the original sample). At six months, the adjusted group difference in QoL continued to favor ACT+SMC, which was significant with moderate effect size. Improvements in secondary outcomes of mood and aspects of psychological flexibility also favored ACT+SMC. Reliable improvement was evident in 33.9% of the ACT+SMC group and 5.7% of the SMC group. Reliable deterioration was uncommon following ACT+SMC (1.8% of participants.) DISCUSSION: The beneficial impacts of guided self-help ACT for QoL and mood were maintained in the longer-term. A third of participants showed response to this brief intervention, and negative individual outcomes were very rare. As is common in psychological interventions, there was a considerable group of non-responders.

Indexed as

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyMuscular DiseasesQuality of LifeAdultAgedFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID39737649
PMCPMC11799407

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.