Comparison of the Effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Compassion and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Students' Dysfunctional Attitude, Self-control, and Mental Health

Both mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and mindfulness-based compassion training improved dysfunctional attitudes, mental health, and self-control in university students. A semi-experimental study with 45 students assigned to two intervention groups or a control group found that after eight weekly 90-minute sessions, both interventions led to significant improvements compared to the control group. However, no significant differences emerged between the two mindfulness approaches on any measure at post-test or one-month follow-up. The results suggest that both forms of mindfulness training are similarly effective for enhancing these psychological outcomes.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This study aimed comparison of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based compassion and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy education on students' dysfunctional attitudes, self-control, and mental health. This study was a semi-experimental study with a pre-post-test and follow-up design with the control group. Forty-five students of Islamic Azad University, Chalus Branch, were selected through the convenience method and randomly replaced in two intervention groups (15 people) and one control group. (15 people). Participants in the intervention groups participated for eight weeks (90 minutes each session) in mindfulness-based compassion and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. The control group did not receive any intervention during this period. All participants were assessed before, after, and one month after the interventions with Goldberg Health Questionnaires, Weizmann's &Beck's Dysfunctional Attitudes, and Tangeni Self-Control Scale. The collected data analyzed using the Repeated Measure of Variance. The results showed both intervention groups had a significant difference with the control group in the scores of dysfunctional attitude, mental health, and self-control. A comparison of mindfulness-based compassion and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy indicated no significance between the two groups' scores of dysfunctional attitude, mental health, and self-control in pre, post-test, and follow up stages. According to this study's findings, mindfulness, based cognitive therapy, and mindfulness-based compassion effectively improved dysfunctional attitudes, mental health, and self-control of students.