Introduction: Breast cancer, in addition to its physical effects, imposes significant psychological stress on patients and can disrupt marital relationships and the quality of couple communication. These conditions necessitate targeted psychological interventions to improve mental health and family relationships. The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of anger management training and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on marital–relational distress in women with breast cancer.
Materials and Methods: This semi-experimental study employed a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design. The study population included all married women diagnosed with breast cancer who referred to Razi Hospital in Rasht in 2024. Among them, 60 participants were purposefully selected and randomly assigned to three groups: anger management training (n = 20), ACT (n = 20), and a control group (n = 20). The primary assessment tool was the Marital–Relational Distress Questionnaire (Wishman et al., 2009), administered at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. Data were analyzed using LSD multiple comparisons.
Results: Findings indicated that both interventions significantly reduced marital–relational distress. However, ACT demonstrated a stronger effect compared to anger management training.
Conclusion: The results suggest that targeted psychological interventions, particularly ACT, play a critical role in reducing marital–relational distress and enhancing the quality of marital relationships among women with breast cancer. It is recommended that these interventions be applied as complementary strategies alongside biomedical treatments in clinical settings.