The Effectiveness of Cognitive Therapy Based on Mindfulness on Cognitive Flexibility and Psychological Disturbance in Patients with Dyspepsia: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Patients with dyspepsia suffer from psychological problems that require therapeutic interventions. The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of cognitive therapy based on mindfulness on cognitive flexibility and psychological disturbance in patients with dyspepsia.

The current research was quasi-experimental with a pretest and posttest design and a control group. The statistical population included patients aged 25 to 50 years with dyspepsia diagnosed at Tuba Gastroenterology Clinic in Sari and Qaim Shahr Cities in 2020. Thirty patients were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly (lottery) assigned in an experimental group (15 people) and a control group (15 people). The experimental group received cognitive therapy based on mindfulness (8 sessions), once a week for 90 minutes, and the control group did not receive training. Data collection was done using Dennis and Vander Wal's Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire and Lovibond's Psychological Disturbance Questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to analyze the data.

According to the results of this research, cognitive therapy based on mindfulness had an effect on cognitive flexibility and psychological disturbance in patients with dyspepsia (p<0.001). The mean and standard deviation of the experimental group's cognitive flexibility in the pretest was 47.53±5.11 and in the posttest 61.80±7.23 and the psychological disturbance of the experimental group in the pretest was 59.40±6.38 and in the posttest 44.35±4.28 (p<0.001).

The results of the study showed that cognitive therapy based on mindfulness is effective on cognitive flexibility and psychological disturbance in patients with dyspepsia. Therefore, the use of cognitive therapy approach based on mindfulness is recommended by counselors and therapists to reduce the psychological problems of patients with dyspepsia.