The Effectiveness of Emotional Processing Intervention on Cognitive Function and Psychological Distress
Keywords:
cognitive function, Emotional processing, psychological distressAbstract
Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of an emotional processing intervention to improve cognitive function and reduce psychological distress in adults.
Methodology: The present study was an experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group and a five-month follow-up. Participants included 30 adults living in Tehran who were voluntarily selected and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups (15 people each). The experimental group participated in ten 90-minute sessions of emotional processing intervention, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were collected using the Cognitive Dysfunction Questionnaire (CFQ) and the Stress, Stress, and Anxiety Scale (DASS-21) at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance with one-way analysis and Bonferroni post hoc test in SPSS-27 software.
Results: The findings showed that the main effect of group on cognitive function was significant (F(1,28)=15.46, p=.001, η²=.35) and the experimental group showed a significant improvement in cognitive function compared to the control group. The group effect on psychological distress was also reported to be significant (F(1,28)=18.97, p<.001, η²=.40) and the experimental group experienced a significant decrease in distress level. Bonferroni test showed that the changes in the post-test and follow-up stages compared to the pre-test were significant in both variables, but no significant difference was observed between the post-test and follow-up.
Conclusion: The results indicate that emotional processing intervention can be carried out in a way to improve psychological cognition and reduce distress.
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