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THE EFFECT OF ART THERAPY AND MINDFULNESS BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY PROGRAM ON THE LEVELS OF ALEXITHYMIA OF INDIVIDUALS

Volkan Demir

ASYA STUDIES December 31, 2022 DOI: 10.31455/asya.1160023 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed
Sample size 42
Population Second- and third-year psychology students at Istanbul Gelisim University who scored high on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and volunteered
Interventions Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Art Therapy (AT)
Duration 8 sessions, once a week; 90 minutes per MBCT session and 120 minutes per AT session
Measures Toronto Alexithymia Scale
Topics Meditation
Citations 5
Key findings Both Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Art Therapy reduced alexithymia levels in students with high alexithymia scores, with no notable change in the control group and no significant difference between the two programs.

Abstract

Study was prepared to determine the effect of group practices on the alexithymia symptoms of individuals using Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Art Therapy (AT) techniques. Experimental design with pretest and posttest control groups was used in the study. Individuals who received high scores on the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and volunteered were assigned to the first experiment (14), the second experiment (14) and the control group (14) objectively. The study group of the research consists of second and third year students studying at the psychology department of Istanbul Gelisim University. Participation in the research is on a voluntary basis. The measurement tools were applied as a pretest before the application and as a posttest at the end of the application. In the study, MBCT Program was applied to the first experimental group and AT program was applied to the second experimental group. Not any procedure was applied to the control group. The experimental process was applied to both experimental groups once a week, 90 minutes to the MBCT Group, and 120 minutes to the AT group as 8 sessions. Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was used to compare the groups among themselves. The group from which the difference originated was analyzed by the Mann Whitney U Test. As a result, MBCT Program and AT program were found to be effective in reducing the levels of alexithymia. There was no remarkable change in the measurements of the individuals in the control group. When the studies on alexithymia in our country are examined, besides the research of this concept, the lack of practical studies on this concept draws attention. The idea that group work with art therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy programs designed to reduce alexithymia in the normal population will make a significant contribution to the field theoretically, practically and experimentally. It was observed that there wasn’t any significant difference in alexithymia levels between the two therapy programs. The results, limitations and strengths of the study were discussed under the leadership of the literature.

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

Citations in the library

Cites 5

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