The Effectiveness of Paradox Therapy on Anger Rumination in People with Anxiety Caused by Corona Disease

People experiencing anxiety due to the coronavirus may resort to rumination as an ineffective coping strategy for dealing with their emotional experiences. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of paradox therapy in reducing anger rumination in individuals with anxiety related to the coronavirus disease.

The research method used in the present study was semi-experimental, employing a pre-test-post-test design with a control group and a follow-up stage. The study focused on individuals experiencing anxiety related to COVID-19 in Jahrom in 2021. Thirty participants were selected using convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. The research utilized the Corona Anxiety Scale (Alipour et al) and Sakudolsky's, Gulab, and Cromwell's. Paradox Therapy was conducted over 8 sessions, with each session lasting 90 minutes, and the experimental group met once a week. To analyze the data, we used a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).

The results of pairwise comparisons of the mean differences in anger rumination and its components indicate that, in the experimental group, the mean scores in the post-test stage for all variables, except the retaliatory thoughts component, have significantly decreased (p<0.05) compared to the pre-test. This reduction continued until the follow-up stage (p = 0.001).

Based on the results, the paradox of therapy can be utilized as an effective intervention method for reducing anger rumination caused by anxiety related to the coronavirus disease.