A Comparative Analysis of Positive Mindfulness and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Training on Automatic Thoughts and Optimism Among Medical Science Students
Pegah Babadi, Fatemeh Sadat Marashian, Sahar Safarzadeh
Journal of Archives in Military Medicine December 30, 2024 DOI: 10.5812/jamm-158821 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental study with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 45 |
| Population | Medical sciences students at Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (Ahvaz) during the 2022 academic year |
| Interventions | Positive mindfulness training (PMT) cognitive emotion regulation training (CERT) |
| Duration | Ten 90-minute sessions, with follow-up assessment |
| Measures | Negative Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, optimism subscale of the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-I) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Both positive mindfulness training and cognitive emotion regulation training reduced negative automatic thoughts and increased optimism among medical sciences students at post-test (P < 0.001), with effects sustained at follow-up and no significant difference between the two programs. |
Abstract
Background: Medical training is notoriously demanding, exposing students to significant stressors such as heavy workloads, high-stakes examinations, exposure to suffering and death, and pressure to perform. These factors can lead to increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout, negatively impacting students' mental health and well-being.
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of positive mindfulness training (PMT) and cognitive emotion regulation training (CERT) on automatic thoughts and optimism in medical sciences students.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design to examine the effects of PMT and CERT on medical students at Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (Ahvaz) during the 2022 academic year. A convenience sample of 45 students was randomly assigned to a PMT group, a CERT group, or a control group. Participants in the two intervention groups received ten 90-minute sessions of their respective training programs, while the control group received no intervention. Data on automatic thoughts and optimism were collected using the Negative Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire and the optimism subscale of the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-I). Data analysis was conducted using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni post-hoc tests (SPSS v. 27).
Results: The findings indicated that both PMT and CERT were effective in reducing negative automatic thoughts and enhancing optimism among medical sciences students at the post-test stage (P < 0.001). These effects were sustained at the follow-up assessment, with no significant difference in effectiveness between the two intervention groups.
Conclusions: The results demonstrated that both PMT and CERT were effective in decreasing negative automatic thoughts and increasing optimism among medical sciences students. A key implication of these findings is the potential for incorporating mindfulness and cognitive emotion regulation techniques into medical education curricula.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cites 4
- How mindfulness training promotes positive emotions: Dismantling acceptance skills training in two randomized controlled trials. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology December 1, 2018
- Mindfulness-based positive psychology interventions: a systematic review. BMC Psychology August 6, 2021
- Relationships between Mindfulness, Purpose in Life, Happiness, Anxiety, and Depression: Testing a Mediation Model in a Sample of Women International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health January 21, 2021
- Effects of Mindfulness Training on Psychological Capital, Depression, and Procrastination of the Youth Demographic Iranian Journal of Public Health September 1, 2020