The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Integrated with Mind-Body Interventions (Tai Chi Exercises) on Aggression and Sensitivity in Interpersonal Relationships of Juvenile Offenders in Correctional and Rehabilitation Centers
Abbas Hamzavi, Mina Javidan, Moloud Keykhosrovani
Rooyesh Psychological Journal July 1, 2025 DOI: 10.66224/rooyesh.14.4.241 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Semi-experimental design with pre-test-post-test and control group Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 22 |
| Population | Clients of the Bushehr provincial correctional center between February 2013 and June 2014 |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy based on mind-body interventions (Tai Chi exercises) |
| Duration | 12 weekly 60-minute sessions |
| Measures | Symptom CheckList-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The authors report that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy combined with Tai Chi exercises significantly reduced aggression and sensitivity in interpersonal relationships among correctional center clients, with post-test scores differing from controls at the 0.05 level after adjusting for pre-test scores. |
Abstract
The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy based on mind-body interventions (Tai Chi exercises) on aggression and sensitivity in interpersonal relationships of clients of a correctional center. The present research method was a semi-experimental design with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population of the study consisted of all clients of the Bushehr provincial correctional center between February 2013 and June 2014. 22 people were selected by convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to two experimental (11 people) and control (11 people) groups. The Symptom CheckList-90-Revised (SCL-90-R; Daraghtvis, 1992) was used to collect data. The experimental group received mindfulness-based cognitive therapy based on mind-body interventions (Tai Chi exercises) as a group once a week for 12 60-minute sessions, and the control group did not receive any intervention. Data analysis was performed using a multivariate analysis of covariance statistical test. The results showed that, after controlling for the pre-test effect, there was a significant difference at the 0.05 level between the mean post-test scores of aggression and sensitivity in interpersonal relationships in the experimental and control groups. Overall, it can be concluded that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy based on mind-body interventions (Tai Chi exercises) had an effective role on aggression and sensitivity in interpersonal relationships in the clients of the correctional center.
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 |