Comparison Of the Effect of Mindfulness and Self-Differentiation Trainings on The Level of Assertiveness of Anxious Educational Students

Study at a glance

Characteristics	Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed
Sample size	45
Population	Female education students at Tabriz University in 2021-2022 with low assertiveness and high anxiety
Interventions	Mindfulness-based stress reduction training Self-differentiation training
Duration	8 sessions; one 90-minute session per week for each training group
Measures	Gambrill and Ritchie assertiveness test questionnaire, Kettle anxiety questionnaire
Topics	Meditation
Key findings	The authors report that both mindfulness-based stress reduction and self-differentiation training significantly improved assertiveness in anxious female medical students compared with a control group, and that mindfulness-based stress reduction was more effective than self-differentiation training.

Abstract

Background & Objective : The presence of anxiety and lack of assertiveness leads to disruption in academic performance, destruction of intelligence and learning abilities, reduction of abstract thinking and stagnation of talents, and also by creating economic problems, it will bring harmful effects to the individual, family and society.Therefore, the aim of the present study was to Comparison of the effect of mindfulness and self-differentiation trainings on the level of assertiveness of anxious medical students. Materials and Methods:The statistical sample included 45 female Educational students in Tabriz university in 2021-2022, who had low assertiveness and high anxiety.They were selected by convenience sampling and then randomly assigned into two experimental groups (15 people) and a control group (15 people).Mindfulness-based stress reduction training was applied to the first group (8 sessions; one 90-minute session per week) and to the second group, self-differentiation training (8 sessions; one 90-minute session per week) and the control group did not receive training.All people in the sample group filled out the Gambrill and Ritchie assertiveness test questionnaire in the pre-test and post-test stages and the Kettle anxiety questionnaire in the pre-test stage.One-variable covariance analysis was used to analyze the data.Analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data.Findings: The results showed that the average assertiveness scores of anxious medical students in the mindfulness training group based on stress reduction compared to the self-differentiation training group and in the self-differentiation training group compared to the control group in the post-test significantly decreased (p<0.05). Conclusion:The results showed that mindfulness training based on stress reduction is more effective than self-differentiation training in improving assertiveness of anxious medical 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

Study at a glance

Abstract

Comparable studies

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