The effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapy (MBCT) on negative spontaneous thoughts and coping strategies to avoid and perceived stress of entrance exam candidates with physical symptoms
Saeed Farhadi Navarudi, Niloufar Tahmorsi, Mastoreh Sedaghat
Journal of Adolescent and Youth Psychological Studies 2020 DOI: 10.61838/kman.jayps.1.1.16 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Semi-experimental pre-test/post-test controlled study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | Female entrance exam candidates with physical symptoms under the supervision of academic advisors at Talesh counseling centers |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based therapy |
| Duration | 8 sessions of 90 minutes, once a week |
| Measures | Holon and Kendall's negative spontaneous thoughts questionnaire, Lazarus and Folkman's coping strategies questionnaire, Cohen, Kamark and Mermelstein's perceived stress questionnaire |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based therapy reduced negative spontaneous thoughts and negative perception of tension, increased positive perception of tension, and changed both emotion-oriented and problem-oriented coping strategies among female entrance exam candidates with physical symptoms. The authors conclude the intervention is effective for these outcomes. |
Abstract
Background and
Aim: entrance exam as a social phenomenon affects the psychological and economic conditions of families. The aim of the present study was the effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapy on negative spontaneous thoughts and avoidance coping strategies and perceived stress of entrance exam candidates with physical symptoms.
Method: The present research method was a semi-experimental type with a pre-test and post-test with a control group. The statistical population of the study was made up of all the female entrance exam candidates under the supervision and follow-up of the academic advisors of Talesh counseling centers, and 30 people were selected from among them using available sampling method. This number was divided between the intervention group of mindfulness-based therapy (15 people) based on the therapeutic protocol of Kalapiran et al. (2015) and the control group (15 people). Information was collected using Holon and Kendall's (1980) negative spontaneous thoughts questionnaires, Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) coping strategies, and Cohen, Kamark and Mermelstein's (1983) perceived stress. Also, mindfulness-based treatment intervention was used in 8 90 minutes sessions once a week based on the therapeutic protocol of Wolf & Serpa (2019). The data were analyzed using multi-way analysis of covariance test.
Results: The result of data analysis showed that the treatment intervention based on mindfulness on negative spontaneous thoughts (F=34.70, P<0.001), negative perception of tension (F=20.10, P<0.001), positive perception of tension (F= 13.30, P< 0.001), emotion-oriented coping strategy (F=6.72, P=0.016) and problem-oriented coping strategy (F=4.86, P=0.038) was effective.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that the treatment interventions based on mindfulness are effective in negative spontaneous thoughts, coping strategies and perceived stress in entrance exam candidates with physical symptoms
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 |