Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Addressing Chronic Cancer Pain: A Narrative Review with Considerations for Utilization in Primary Care.
- 1College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Health North, 550 N. 3rd St., Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA.
- 2Arizona State University Library, Arizona State University, 411 N Central Ave, Suite L1-61, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA.
- 3Sandstone Counseling & Consultation, LLC, Peoria, AZ 85383, USA.
Abstract
Background
Chronic pain is common among cancer survivors and may reflect interacting physical, psychological, social, and existential factors. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a behavioral intervention that emphasizes psychological flexibility, acceptance, present-moment awareness, and values-guided action. As cancer survivorship care increasingly involves primary care, scalable behavioral approaches may be needed to complement medical pain management, particularly where specialty behavioral health resources are limited.Methods
This narrative review examined evidence for ACT in chronic cancer-related pain and its potential applicability to primary care and resource-constrained healthcare settings. Searches were conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL Ultimate, supplemented by Google Scholar and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science database. Fifteen studies met criteria for inclusion.Results
ACT showed promising effects on outcomes including psychological flexibility, pain acceptance, emotional distress, quality of life, pain coping, and pain-related functioning, whereas findings for pain intensity were less consistent. The evidence was limited by heterogeneous study designs and populations and generally small experimental samples. None of the included studies directly evaluated ACT for cancer-related pain in primary care, although studies in other chronic pain and mental health populations provide indirect support for the feasibility of ACT in primary care and community settings.Discussion
Although direct evidence for the utilization of ACT in primary care is lacking, studies on ACT interventions for chronic pain and mental illness in these settings suggest that brief ACT interventions for cancer pain may help to address the need for behavioral health support. Future research should include pragmatic trials to determine whether brief ACT-informed interventions can be feasibly integrated into multidisciplinary primary care teams and delivered through digital or hybrid models.
Related
- A cross-sectional study of the prevalence and correlates of post-traumatic stress among people attending acceptance and commitment therapy for chronic pain
- A brief acceptance and commitment therapy intervention for individuals at risk of neurodegenerative disease: A translational study in inherited prion disease
- Simulated consultation room based on acceptance and commitment therapy combined with virtual reality in brain MRI examinations for claustrophobia patients
- Feasibility of acceptance and commitment therapy for repetitive negative thinking versus internet-based CBT: a pilot randomised controlled trial in Swedish primary care among patients with anxiety, depression and stress
- Effects of acceptance and commitment therapy on psychological and health-related outcomes in stroke patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
BibTeX
@article{russin2026acceptance,
title = {{Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Addressing Chronic Cancer Pain: A Narrative Review with Considerations for Utilization in Primary Care.}},
author = {Nina H Russin and Kevin Pardon and Jennifer Sander and Ronald O'Donnell and Matthew P Martin},
journal = {Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/healthcare14193232},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42881670},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Addressing Chronic Cancer Pain: A Narrative Review with Considerations for Utilization in Primary Care.
AU - Nina H Russin
AU - Kevin Pardon
AU - Jennifer Sander
AU - Ronald O'Donnell
AU - Matthew P Martin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/healthcare14193232
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42881670
AB - Background Chronic pain is common among cancer survivors and may reflect interacting physical, psychological, social, and existential factors. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a behavioral intervention that emphasizes psychological flexibility, acceptance, present-moment awareness, and values-guided action. As cancer survivorship care increasingly involves primary care, scalable behavioral approaches may be needed to complement medical pain management, particularly where specialty behavioral health resources are limited.Methods This narrative review examined evidence for ACT in chronic cancer-related pain and its potential applicability to primary care and resource-constrained healthcare settings. Searches were conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL Ultimate, supplemented by Google Scholar and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science database. Fifteen studies met criteria for inclusion.Results ACT showed promising effects on outcomes including psychological flexibility, pain acceptance, emotional distress, quality of life, pain coping, and pain-related functioning, whereas findings for pain intensity were less consistent. The evidence was limited by heterogeneous study designs and populations and generally small experimental samples. None of the included studies directly evaluated ACT for cancer-related pain in primary care, although studies in other chronic pain and mental health populations provide indirect support for the feasibility of ACT in primary care and community settings.Discussion Although direct evidence for the utilization of ACT in primary care is lacking, studies on ACT interventions for chronic pain and mental illness in these settings suggest that brief ACT interventions for cancer pain may help to address the need for behavioral health support. Future research should include pragmatic trials to determine whether brief ACT-informed interventions can be feasibly integrated into multidisciplinary primary care teams and delivered through digital or hybrid models.
SN - 2227-9032
ER -