Comparison of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction versus cognitive-behavioral therapy on emotion regulation, mindfulness, and cognitive-executive functions in female patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Emad Alkasir, Abbas Masjedi-Arani, Fatemeh Jafarian Dehkordi, Amir Sam Kianimoghadam, Behrooz Afshari, Shafigheh Yousefi
Journal of Education and Health Promotion 2025 DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_1917_23 (opens in new tab)
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Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Clinical trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 96 |
| Population | Patients with rheumatoid arthritis referred to a rheumatology clinic |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-based stress reduction Cognitive-behavioral therapy |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cognitive-behavioral therapy Cognitive-executive functions Emotion regulation Mindfulness-based stress reduction |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | MBSR and CBT both significantly improved emotion regulation, mindfulness, and cognitive-executive functions in rheumatoid arthritis patients, with MBSR showing greater benefits for emotion regulation and mindfulness, and CBT for cognitive-executive functions. |
Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis affects physical and mental health; it brings psychological consequences such as dysfunctions in emotion regulation and cognitive-executive functions. The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) versus cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on emotion regulation, mindfulness, and cognitive-executive functions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This study was a clinical trial with two intervention groups and one control group. The number of 96 patients referred to the rheumatology clinic was selected using random sampling and divided into two intervention groups and a control group. In this study, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Stroop task, Tower of London task, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Task were used at baseline, posttest, and follow-up. Data were analyzed by SPSS22 using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measurements. The findings showed that MBSR and CBT have significant effects on mindfulness (P > 001), emotion regulation (P > 001), and cognitive-executive functions (P > 001). Specifically, MBSR led to greater improvements in emotion regulation and mindfulness, while CBT led to greater improvement in cognitive-executive functions. MBSR and CBT can be used as effective treatments to improve emotion regulation, mindfulness, and cognitive-executive functions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cites 2
- The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on cardiac patients' blood pressure, perceived stress, and anger: a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Society of Hypertension : JASH October 2016
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits. A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research July 1, 2004