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News
A group resilience program rooted in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) didn't significantly beat relaxation training on its primary resilience measure in MS patients — but it did deliver meaningful gains in anxiety, depression, psychological flexibility, and quality of life. The multi-READY for MS trial, published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal, tracked 197 participants across 7 Italian centers over 6 months. Secondary wins suggest ACT-based care may offer real psychological benefits for MS patients.
A cluster-randomized trial called multi-READY for MS tested whether a structured, ACT-based group program — called READY (Resilience and Activities for Every DaY) — could outperform group relaxation therapy in boosting resilience among people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The short answer: it didn't hit its primary target. But the longer story is more encouraging.
While READY didn't significantly improve resilience scores (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale) at 3 or 6 months compared to relaxation, it did consistently outperform relaxation across a range of secondary outcomes — including anxiety, depression, psychological flexibility, general quality of life, and well-being — with many benefits persisting through the 6-month follow-up.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: MS carries a heavy psychological burden, and effective, scalable mental health interventions are in short supply. Even without meeting its primary endpoint, READY's broad secondary benefits suggest ACT-based group therapy could be a valuable addition to MS care — especially if adapted for digital or hybrid delivery to reach more patients.
