An 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program, consisting of 16 group sessions, reduced symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression and improved psychological well-being among male retired Iranian football players compared to an active control group. Improvements were maintained at a 12-week follow-up, while the control group remained stable. The study did not assess underlying mechanisms.
Among Iranian veterans of the Iran–Iraq war, adding mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to standard treatment with citalopram reduced symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and stress more than standard treatment alone. Forty-eight male veterans (average age 52.97 years) were randomly assigned to eight weekly group MBCT sessions or to socio-therapeutic meetings of equal frequency and duration. All participants continued citalopram (30–50 mg/day). After eight weeks, scores for PTSD re-experiencing, avoidance, negative mood and cognition, hyperarousal, depression, anxiety, and stress decreased in both groups, but the reductions were larger in the MBCT group. The data suggest MBCT as an effective adjuvant intervention.