Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40648612›Full record

ReviewHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland)2025

The Role of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Improving Social Functioning Among Psychiatric Patients: A Systematic Review.

Desirèe Latella, Giulia Marafioti, Caterina Formica, Andrea Calderone, Elvira La Fauci, Angela Foti, Rocco Salvatore Calabrò, Giuseppa Filippello

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

8 authors.

Desirèe LatellaGiulia Marafioti, Psy, IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, S.S. 113 Via Palermo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1812-8454
Giulia MarafiotiGiulia Marafioti, Psy, IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, S.S. 113 Via Palermo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0009-0001-5971-1400
Caterina FormicaGiulia Marafioti, Psy, IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, S.S. 113 Via Palermo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-7591-3080
Andrea CalderoneGiulia Marafioti, Psy, IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, S.S. 113 Via Palermo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
Elvira La FauciDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Piazza Pugliatti, 1, 98122 Messina, Italy.
Angela FotiDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Piazza Pugliatti, 1, 98122 Messina, Italy.
Rocco Salvatore CalabròGiulia Marafioti, Psy, IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, S.S. 113 Via Palermo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-8566-3166
Giuseppa FilippelloDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Piazza Pugliatti, 1, 98122 Messina, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesAcceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) enhances psychological flexibility by fostering acceptance of thoughts and emotions, promoting mindfulness practices, and encouraging engagement in value-based actions. These processes have been associated with improvements in mental health and social functioning, with accumulating evidence supporting ACT's efficacy across various psychiatric disorders. This systematic review aimed to evaluate current evidence on ACT interventions for reducing psychiatric symptoms and enhancing social functioning and interpersonal relationships in adults with psychiatric conditions. MATERIALS AND

methodsA comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and Embase for studies published between 2014 and 2024. The review protocol was registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF; registration ID: 2ZAGT).

resultsSeventeen studies met the inclusion criteria; however, the evidence base remained fragmented, with most psychiatric diagnoses represented by only one or two studies. The reviewed studies exhibited several methodological limitations, including small sample sizes, lack of randomization and blinding, high risk of bias, reliance on subjective outcome measures, and inadequately designed or absent control groups. Despite these limitations, ACT was associated with beneficial effects in conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), insomnia, psychosis, and autism spectrum disorder, particularly in reducing experiential avoidance, enhancing mindfulness, and promoting long-term improvements in emotional regulation and life satisfaction.

conclusionsDue to the limited number of studies per diagnosis, significant methodological weaknesses, and the lack of high-quality controlled trials, this review cannot provide strong evidence for the efficacy of ACT in improving social functioning among adults with psychiatric disorders. The heterogeneity and overall low quality of the available literature highlight the urgent need for further large-scale well-controlled studies.

Indexed as

acceptance and commitment therapypsychiatric disorderssocial functioning

Identifiers

PMID40648612
PMCPMC12249220

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.