The Effectiveness of Behavioral Activation Therapy on Executive Function and Cognitive Flexibility in Physically-Motor Disabled People with Psychological Distress

One of the common problems in physically-motor disabled people is psychological distress, defects in executive function and cognitive flexibility, which causes many negative consequences for these people, so the present study aims to determine the effectiveness of behavioral activation on performance. Executive and cognitive flexibility in physical-motor disabled people with psychological distress was done.

Methods and Materials: 

The current research was a semi-experimental type with a pre-test and a post-test with a control group. The statistical population included all mild to moderate physical-motor disabilities who had a file in the welfare department of Babol city in 1401. Among them, 30 people were selected by the available sampling method and were replaced randomly and by lottery in two experimental and control groups (15 people in the experimental group and 15 people in the control group). The experimental group received behavioral activation therapy (8 sessions) and one session every week for 90 minutes, and the control group did not receive any intervention during this period. The research questionnaires included Barkley's implementation performance questionnaire (2011), Dennis and Vanderwaal's (2010) cognitive flexibility questionnaire, and Lavibond and Lavibond's (1995) psychological disturbance questionnaire. For data analysis, univariate covariance analysis was used with SPSS version 25 software.

Our findings can be useful for selecting and designing the most appropriate treatment approach according to the needs of physical-motor disabled people with psychological distress.

According to the findings, it can be stated that investigating the effectiveness of behavioral activation therapy is effective in increasing the executive function and cognitive flexibility of physically-motor disabled people with psychological distress.