Examining the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Therapy on Adaptive and Maladaptive Emotion Regulation in Students with Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Mina Jafari, Zohreh Latifi, Mohsen Golparvar
Mental Health and Lifestyle Journal 2026 DOI: 10.61838/mhlj.144 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | Female students with body dysmorphic disorder who had referred to counseling and psychotherapy centers in Isfahan |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based therapy |
| Duration | Eight sessions with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages |
| Measures | Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Bonferroni correction Descriptive statistics Body dysmorphic disorder Analysis of variance Post hoc Statistical population Intervention counseling Clinical psychology Cognition Post-hoc analysis Statistical analysis Repeated measures design Psychological resilience Developmental psychology |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based therapy improved various dimensions of emotion regulation among female students with body dysmorphic disorder. |
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapy on resilience and emotion regulation among students with body dysmorphic disorder in Isfahan. The research employed an experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages using control and experimental groups. The statistical population included all students with body dysmorphic disorder who had referred to counseling and psychotherapy centers in Isfahan. From this population, 40 female students were purposefully selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. All participants were assessed using the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire developed by Garnefski and Kraaij (2006) across three stages. While the control group was placed on a waiting list, the experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of mindfulness-based therapy. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test). The results indicated that this intervention improved various dimensions of emotion regulation among the female participants in the sample. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that mindfulness is an effective approach for enhancing emotion regulation dimensions among these students.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |