Comparison of the Effectiveness of a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Intervention with a Metacognitive Intervention in Reducing Anxiety Symptoms and Rumination in Women with Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based cognitive intervention and a metacognitive intervention on anxiety symptoms and rumination in patients with multiple sclerosis. The method of this study was based on the purpose and research design and was quasi-experimental and pretest-posttest with a control group. For this purpose, among all women with MS under the auspices of MS Association of Mazandaran Province year 2019, residing in Sari, 45 individuals were selected through purposive sampling and randomly divided into three groups (2 intervention groups and one control group). Members of the intervention groups were trained in 8 one-hour sessions. Participants answered the Self Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS) once before the intervention and once after the intervention. Data were then analyzed using SPSS version 26. The results of multivariate analysis of covariance showed that the difference between the two groups of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and metacognitive therapy on anxiety and rumination was significant (p <0.05) and that mindfulness therapy had a greater effect on metacognitive therapy than reducing anxiety and rumination. Considering the importance that the mental health of patients with multiple sclerosis has in controlling the disease and its consequences, the use of the above treatments seems to be useful and fruitful. Therefore, therapists are recommended to use these two interventions, especially mindfulness-based interventions, to promote the mental health of these patients.