Sadra Medical Journal

Comparative Analysis of the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Emotion-Focused Therapy on Cognitive Flexibility in Cardiovascular Patients

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Niloufar Dehghan 1
Tayebeh Sharifi 2
Reza Ahmadi 3

1 PhD student of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, Shahrekord, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, Shahrekord, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, Shahrekord, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30476/smsj.2024.99682.1432
Abstract
Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are among the most lethal physical diseases of the 21st century, posing a greater threat to human life than any other disease and problem. This research compared the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction and emotion-focused therapy on the cognitive flexibility of cardiovascular patients in Isfahan City.
Methods: The research was conducted using a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test post-test and a three-month follow-up with a control group. The statistical population included 380 male cardiovascular patients admitted to Shahid Chamran Cardiovascular Hospital in Isfahan in the winter of 2023. Forty-five patients were selected by purposive sampling and assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. Patients in the first experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of mindfulness-based stress reduction, while those in the second experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of emotion-focused therapy. The measurement tools were the Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire (Dennis & Vanderwaal, 2010) and a short clinical interview. Research data were analyzed through mixed variance analysis using SPSS version 24 software.
Results: The results showed that both intervention methods increased the average cognitive flexibility and its components, including alternatives, control, and alternatives for human behaviors of patients (P≤0.01). No significant difference was observed between the effectiveness of the two methods (P≥0.01).
Conclusion: According to the research results, it is possible to use the intervention method of mindfulness-based stress reduction program and emotion-focused therapy to improve the cognitive flexibility of cardiovascular patients.

Keywords

Cognitive behavioral therapy
Mindfulness
Emotion-focused therapy
Cardiovascular diseases
patients
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Sadra Medical Journal
Volume 12, Issue 2
Spring 2024
Pages 161-174

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