Introduction
Cardiovascular patients experience various psychological problems due to the conditions caused by their disease, which make it worse if left untreated.

Objective
The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of acceptance and commitment therapy on distress, emotion regulation, and self-compassion in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Methods
This study was a randomized clinical trial with pre-test, post-test and two-month and four-month follow-up periods accompanying a control group.  At four stages, patients filled out questionnaires on depression, anxiety, stress (DASS-21), emotion regulation (ERQ), and self-compassion (SCS). The experimental group underwent a treatment protocol based on acceptance and commitment therapy. Data were then analyzed using SPSS-25 with repeated measures analysis of variance.

Results
Act significantly reduced depression, anxiety, and stress, enhanced self-compassion, and improved emotion regulation in cardiac patients.  Between-subjects (Group) partial etas for depression, anxiety, stress, reappraisal, suppression, and self-compassion were 0.61, 0.64, 0.66, 0.62, 0.66, and 0.65, respectively. Treatment efficacy was maintained during the 2- and 6-month follow-up visits.

Conclusion
The results of this study suggest that treating cardiac patients' psychological problems in a way focused on acceptance and commitment therapy may have an impact on how well they respond to their treatment.