Efficacy of MBCT in improving the cognitive emotion regulation strategies of women with lung cancer

Abstract

Background: The objective of the present study has been evaluating the effectiveness of mindfulness based cognitive therapy in improving cognitive emotion regulation strategies of the women with lung cancer. Methods: In this study, pretest-posttest designs were done with the control group. The statistical sample included 30 women with lung cancer treating under chemotherapy in Tehran city, and was selected by an objective-based sampling method. These participants were randomly put in 2 groups of 15 individuals including the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group was trained in 8 sessions of 2 hours and 30 minutes using mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) protocol. The measurement tool was cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire (CERQ). The results were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) method. Findings: The results showed that the eight training sessions were effective in changing the experimental group’s Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies (P<0.01). Discussion: The obtained results suggest that the therapeutic sessions based on mindfulness strategies were effective in changing cognitive emotion regulation strategies of the women with lung cancer. In other words, these strategies increased the use of positive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (positive refocus and programming, positive evaluation, acceptance) and decreased negative cognitive emotion regulation strategies (self-blame, blaming others, rumination, catastrophizing).