Comparative Analysis of the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Emotion-Focused Therapy on Cognitive Flexibility in Cardiovascular Patients
Niloufar Dehghan, Tayebeh Sharifi, Reza Ahmadi
مجله علوم پزشکی صدرا April 26, 2024 DOI: 10.30476/smsj.2024.99682.1432 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and three-month follow-up with a control group Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 45 |
| Population | Male cardiovascular patients admitted to Shahid Chamran Cardiovascular Hospital in Isfahan (statistical population 380) |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-based stress reduction Emotion-focused therapy |
| Duration | Eight 90-minute sessions per intervention; three-month follow-up |
| Measures | Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire (Dennis & Vanderwaal, 2010), short clinical interview |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cognitive behavioral therapy Emotion-focused therapy Cardiovascular diseases Patients |
| Key findings | Both mindfulness-based stress reduction and emotion-focused therapy increased average cognitive flexibility and its components (alternatives, control, and alternatives for human behaviors) in male cardiovascular patients, with no significant difference between the two methods. The authors conclude either intervention can be used to improve cognitive flexibility in this population. |
Abstract
Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are among the most lethal physical diseases of the 21st century, posing a greater threat to human life than any other disease and problem. This research compared the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction and emotion-focused therapy on the cognitive flexibility of cardiovascular patients in Isfahan City.Methods: The research was conducted using a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test-post-test and a three-month follow-up with a control group. The statistical population included 380 male cardiovascular patients admitted to Shahid Chamran Cardiovascular Hospital in Isfahan in the winter of 2023. Forty-five patients were selected by purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. Patients in the first experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of mindfulness-based stress reduction, while those in the second experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of emotion-focused therapy. The measurement tools were the Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire (Dennis & Vanderwaal, 2010) and a short clinical interview. Research data were analyzed through mixed variance analysis using SPSS version 24 software.Results: The results showed that both intervention methods increased the average cognitive flexibility and its components, including alternatives, control, and alternatives for human behaviors of patients (P≥0.01). No significant difference was observed between the effectiveness of the two methods (P≤0.01).Conclusion: According to the research results, it is possible to use the intervention method of mindfulness-based stress reduction program and emotion-focused therapy to improve the cognitive flexibility of cardiovascular patients.
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 |