1- Ph.D. student in Psychology, Shahrood Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrood, Iran.
2- Professor, Department of Psychology, Research Institute and University, Qom, Iran.
3- Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Shahrood Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrood, Iran.
4- Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Shahrood Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrood, Iran.
2- Professor, Department of Psychology, Research Institute and University, Qom, Iran.
3- Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Shahrood Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrood, Iran.
4- Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Shahrood Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrood, Iran.
Abstract: (632 Views)
Introduction: Psychological distress is a specific discomfort and emotional state experienced by people temporarily or permanently in response to specific stresses and traumatic requests. Therefore, the aim of the research was to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy on emotional and cognitive flexibility in people with psychological distress.
Method: The present research was a semi-experimental type and was conducted with a pre-test-post-test design with two control and experimental groups. The statistical population of this research included people with psychological distress who referred to counseling and psychology clinics in Tehran in 1400. Since the number of subjects in groups in semi-experimental studies is considered to be at least fifteen people (14). Among the statistical population, 30 qualified volunteers were randomly entered into the study and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups (each group includes 15 people). The implementation method was such that after selecting the people of the sample group and before starting the treatment program, cognitive flexibility questionnaires of Dennis and Vanderwaal (2010), emotional flexibility of Barton et al. (2004) were distributed between both groups. After that, cognitive behavioral therapy was performed on the experimental group (in the form of 8 sessions of 90 minutes and each session once a week) and the control group was not subjected to any treatment program. At the end, the post-test was done again from both groups. Also, after the end of the research, in order to maintain the ethical standards in the research, the treatment programs implemented in this research were also implemented on the control group. The criteria for entering the research include: 1- an interview based on DSM-5 criteria and a higher than average score on the psychological distress scale, which was conducted by an expert in the field of clinical psychology, 2- at least a diploma level of education, 3- Non-participation in other psychological interventions at the same time, 4- Absence of debilitating mental illnesses that were diagnosed by the researcher using a clinical interview. And the criteria for leaving the research included: 1- Absence of more than three sessions, 2- Non-observance of group-therapy rules, 3- Suffering from a mental illness that did not exist before the treatment and was identified during the implementation. In this research, ethical standards including obtaining informed consent, ensuring privacy and confidentiality were observed. Also, when participating in the research, the participants were free to withdraw from the research at any time and provide individual information. They were assured that the information would remain confidential and this was fully respected. Data analysis was carried out in two parts: descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. At the level of descriptive statistics of frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation and at the level of inferential statistics in order to check the normality of the data using the Kolmogorov Smirnov test and to check the homogeneity of variances using the Lunn test and also the assumption of homogeneity of the slope of the regression lines by checking the effect Group-pretest interactions were used in the regression model. Finally, univariate analysis of covariance was used. Also, independent t-test was used to compare the averages of age variable of two groups and chi-square test was used to compare frequency of education variable. Data analysis was done in SPSS software version 24 and the significance level of the tests was considered to be 0.05.
Findings: The research findings showed that the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on increasing cognitive and emotional flexibility in people with psychological problems was significant (P<0.001).
Conclusion: It can be said that cognitive behavioral therapy can be effective in increasing cognitive and emotional flexibility in people with psychological problems.
Method: The present research was a semi-experimental type and was conducted with a pre-test-post-test design with two control and experimental groups. The statistical population of this research included people with psychological distress who referred to counseling and psychology clinics in Tehran in 1400. Since the number of subjects in groups in semi-experimental studies is considered to be at least fifteen people (14). Among the statistical population, 30 qualified volunteers were randomly entered into the study and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups (each group includes 15 people). The implementation method was such that after selecting the people of the sample group and before starting the treatment program, cognitive flexibility questionnaires of Dennis and Vanderwaal (2010), emotional flexibility of Barton et al. (2004) were distributed between both groups. After that, cognitive behavioral therapy was performed on the experimental group (in the form of 8 sessions of 90 minutes and each session once a week) and the control group was not subjected to any treatment program. At the end, the post-test was done again from both groups. Also, after the end of the research, in order to maintain the ethical standards in the research, the treatment programs implemented in this research were also implemented on the control group. The criteria for entering the research include: 1- an interview based on DSM-5 criteria and a higher than average score on the psychological distress scale, which was conducted by an expert in the field of clinical psychology, 2- at least a diploma level of education, 3- Non-participation in other psychological interventions at the same time, 4- Absence of debilitating mental illnesses that were diagnosed by the researcher using a clinical interview. And the criteria for leaving the research included: 1- Absence of more than three sessions, 2- Non-observance of group-therapy rules, 3- Suffering from a mental illness that did not exist before the treatment and was identified during the implementation. In this research, ethical standards including obtaining informed consent, ensuring privacy and confidentiality were observed. Also, when participating in the research, the participants were free to withdraw from the research at any time and provide individual information. They were assured that the information would remain confidential and this was fully respected. Data analysis was carried out in two parts: descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. At the level of descriptive statistics of frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation and at the level of inferential statistics in order to check the normality of the data using the Kolmogorov Smirnov test and to check the homogeneity of variances using the Lunn test and also the assumption of homogeneity of the slope of the regression lines by checking the effect Group-pretest interactions were used in the regression model. Finally, univariate analysis of covariance was used. Also, independent t-test was used to compare the averages of age variable of two groups and chi-square test was used to compare frequency of education variable. Data analysis was done in SPSS software version 24 and the significance level of the tests was considered to be 0.05.
Findings: The research findings showed that the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy on increasing cognitive and emotional flexibility in people with psychological problems was significant (P<0.001).
Conclusion: It can be said that cognitive behavioral therapy can be effective in increasing cognitive and emotional flexibility in people with psychological problems.
Keywords: cognitive behavioral therapy, emotional flexibility, cognitive flexibility, psychological distress
Type of Study: Original Research Article |
Subject:
Psychology
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