The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Females with Multiple Sclerosis: A Single Blind Randomized Controlled Trial
S. Bahrani, Fatemeh Zargar, G. Yousefipour, Hossein Akbari
February 26, 2017 DOI: 10.5812/ircmj.44566 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental study Randomized |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 56 |
| Population | Female patients with multiple sclerosis referred to Fars MS Society, Shiraz, Iran, in 2015 |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy (MiCBT) |
| Duration | Eight 2-hour sessions |
| Measures | Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy significantly reduced depression, anxiety, and stress in women with multiple sclerosis compared with usual treatment alone. Mean depression scores fell from 16.69 to 6.17, anxiety from 13.2 to 6.09, and stress from 22.09 to 10.87. The authors suggest MiCBT is an effective and affordable treatment for these patients. |
Abstract
Background: Previousstudieshaveshowntheeffectivenessof cognitivebehaviortherapyinimprovementof psychologicalsymp-toms such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Recent studies suggest that mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) are effective in reducing these psychological symptoms in chronic diseases. The present study was the first study to examine the effects of mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy (MiCBT) on common comorbid psychological symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Objectives: The present study aimed at examining the effect of mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy on depression, anxiety, and stress in females with multiple sclerosis.
Methods: This research was a quasi-experimental study conducted on female patients with MS who referred to Fars MS Society, Shiraz, Iran, in 2015. A total of 56 patients with MS were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly assigned into interventionandcontrolgroups. Theinterventiongroupreceivedeight2-hoursessionsof MiCBT,whilethecontrolgroupwasonly giventheusualtreatment(TAU).Thepatientsinbothgroupsfilledoutademographicquestionnairealongwithdepression,anxiety and stress scales (DASS-21) in pre-and posttest.
Results: In the current study, no statistically significant differences were found between the study groups in demographic variables (P > 0.05). Analysis of covariance revealed significant differences between the study groups in all the 3 variables in posttest compared to the pretest. The mean scores of depression, anxiety, and stress in the MiCBT group were significantly lower than the control group (P < 0.001). The mean score of depression was 16.69 ± 7.1 in the experimental group before the intervention, which decreased to 6.17 ± 5.7 after the intervention (P < 0.001). In addition, the mean score of anxiety was 13.2 ± 7.25 in pre-intervention, whichsignificantlyreducedto6.09 ± 5.2inpost-intervention(P< 0.001). Themeanscoreof stressalsodecreasedfrom22.09 ± 6.07 to 10.87 ± 6.3 compared to the pretest (P < 0.001).
Conclusions: Theresultsof thepresentstudysuggestedthatmindfulness-integratedcognitivebehaviortherapyisaneffectiveand affordable treatment in reducing depression, anxiety, and stress for patients with MS.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A PILOT STUDY OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (MBCT) FOR COMBAT VETERANS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) Veterans with chronic combat posttraumatic stress disorder seeking treatment at a VA... | 2013 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual comparison group | n = 37 |
| Being present in the face of existential threat: The role of trait mindfulness in reducing defensive responses to mortality salience. | 2010 | Experimental study | |
| Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation-related anxiety relief Healthy adults with no prior meditation experience | 2013 | Within-subjects experimental study | n = 15 |
| Intensive mindfulness training-related changes in cognitive and emotional experience Community adults | 2009 | Quasi-experimental and longitudinal | n = 69 |
| Prospective examination of synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine inhalation: effects on salivary IL-6, cortisol levels, affect, and non-judgment Volunteers | 2019 | Within-subjects experimental study | n = 11 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Co-emergence Reinforcement and Its Relevance to Interoceptive Desensitization in Mindfulness and Therapies Aiming at Transdiagnostic Efficacy Frontiers in Psychology December 22, 2020
- Differentiating mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy clinically: the why, how, and what of evidence-based practice. Frontiers in Psychology 2024
- The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Depressive Symptoms and Their Relationship to Interoceptive Awareness: A Systematic Review. Alpha psychiatry December 1, 2025
- An examination of the effectiveness of mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy on depression, anxiety, stress and sleep quality in Iranian women with breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial Scientific Reports April 1, 2025
- Managing type 2 diabetes and depression with Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MiCBT) Discover Psychology December 1, 2022
and 3 more in the library
Cites 9
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Self-Focused Attention and Mechanisms of Change in Mindfulness-Based Treatment Cognitive Behaviour Therapy 2009
- Becoming conscious: the science of mindfulness Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences November 1, 2013
- The efficacy of a Mindfulness Based Intervention for depressive symptoms in patients with Multiple Sclerosis and their caregivers: study protocol for a randomized controlled clinical trial BMC Neurology January 13, 2016
- The Effect of Mindfulness-integrated Cognitive Behavior Therapy on Depression and Anxiety among Pregnant Women: a Randomized Clinical Trial Journal of Caring Sciences August 31, 2016
and 4 more in the library