A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Compassion-Focused Therapy on Depression and Alexithymia in Caregivers of Elderly People with Alzheimer’s Disease
Keywords:
Adverse childhood experiences, adolescents, murder, offenderAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) on depression and alexithymia in caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients.
Methodology: This was a quasi-experimental study using a pretest-posttest-follow-up design with a control group. The sample consisted of 45 caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients in Arak, Iran, selected through purposive sampling. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups: MBSR intervention (n=15), CFT intervention (n=15), and control (n=15). Data were collected using the Beck Depression Inventory-II and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and analyzed using multivariate repeated measures ANOVA.
Findings: Both MBSR and CFT significantly reduced depression and alexithymia scores compared to the control group (P<0.001). However, CFT was more effective in reducing depression, while MBSR showed a stronger effect in decreasing alexithymia. These effects remained stable during the three-month follow-up phase.
Conclusion: Both interventions proved beneficial in improving the psychological well-being of caregivers. Nonetheless, the choice of intervention should be aligned with individual emotional and cognitive needs. MBSR appears more suitable for addressing emotional awareness issues (alexithymia), while CFT is better targeted for treating depressive symptoms.
Downloads
References
Barghi Irani, Z., & Dehghan Saber, L. (2021). The Comparison of the Effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Therapy and Spiritual Therapy on Irrational Beliefs and Anxiety in the Older Women. Aging Psychology, 6(4), 339-321. https://doi.org/10.22126/jap.2021.5945.1492
Borjali, M., Rahmani, S., Karimi, A., & Zeinali, M. (2021). Comparison of the Impact of Self-Compassion-Focused Therapy and Metacognitive Therapy on Depression Symptoms and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation in Depressed Armed Forces Personnel. Military Psychology, 11(44), 5-16. https://jmp.ihu.ac.ir/article_206027.html
Connolly-Zubot, A., Timulak, L., Hession, N., & Coleman, N. (2020). Emotion-Focused Therapy for Anxiety and Depression in Women with Breast Cancer. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 50(2), 113-122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-019-09439-2
Damavandian, A., Golshani, F., Saffarinia, M., & Baghdasarians, A. (2022). Effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy on aggression, self-harm behaviors, and emotional self-regulation in delinquent adolescents. Journal-of-Psychological-Science, 21(112), 797-818. https://doi.org/10.52547/JPS.21.112.797
Farhadi, M., Rahimi, H., Paidar, M. R. Z., & Vasel, M. Y. (2023). The Effectiveness of Self-Compassion-Focused Therapy on Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.18502/ijps.v18i2.12364
Ghanbari, Z., Mohseni Nasab, Z., Taati, M., Mohbi Aria, M., & Torabi, A. (2023). Comparing the effectiveness of schema therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction on alexithymia, self-control, and psychological well-being in women victims of domestic violence. Research in Psychological Health, 17(4), 50-65. https://www.magiran.com/paper/2715846/comparing-the-effectiveness-of-schema-therapy-and-stress-reduction-based-on-mindfulness-on-emotional-ataxia-self-control-and-psychological-well-being-in-women-victims-of-domestic-violence?lang=en
Ghazizadeh, H., Turkaman Dareh Miyaneh, P., & Jafari, S. (2023). Investigation of the effectiveness of mindfulness based on stress reduction on subjective well-being and depression of elderly people of Tehran. The First International Conference of Psychology, Social Sciences, Educational Sciences and Philosophy, Babol, 1-7.
Goodridge, D., Kor, P., & Birtwell, K. (2024). Effect of an 8‑Week Mindfulness Meditation Training Program on Psychological Distress in Caregivers and on Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms in People with Alzheimer's Disease. Mindfulness.
Hazlett-Stevens, H. (2022). Clinical Significance of Stress, Depression, Anxiety, and Worry Symptom Improvement Following Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction. Obm Integrative and Complementary Medicine, 7(2), 5-14. https://doi.org/07.75219/jrums.2022.08.09
Javadzade, N., Esmaeili, S. V., Omranifard, V., & Zargar, F. (2024). Effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program on depression, emotion regulation, and sleep problems: A randomized controlled trial study on depressed elderly. BMC public health, 24(1), 271. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17759-9
Kavousi, L., Abbasi, G., & Mirzaian, B. (2021). The effectiveness of Compassion- Focused Therapy on Psychological Distress, Self-Concept, and Social Support for People with Binge Eating Disorder [Research]. Journal of nursing education, 9(3), 50-62. http://ijpn.ir/article-1-1758-en.html
Khayatan, S., Aghaei, A., Abedi, M., & Golparvar, M. (2021). Comparison of "Combined Therapy Package Focused on Compassion and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy" with "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy" (CBT) on Depression and Glycosylated Hemoglobin in Female with Type II Diabetes. jhpm.ir, 10(6), 127-140. http://jhpm.ir/article-1-1166-en.html
Li, J., Li, C., Puts, M., Wu, Y.-c., Lyu, M.-m., Yuan, B., & Zhang, J.-p. (2023). Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on anxiety, depression, and fatigue in people with lung cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International journal of nursing studies, 140, 104447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2023.104447
Mousavi, M. S., Bakhshipour, A., & Mahdian, H. (2022). Comparative Effectiveness of 'Acceptance and Commitment Therapy,' 'Compassion-Focused Therapy,' and 'Compassion-Enhanced Acceptance and Commitment Therapy' on Communication Patterns of Married Women Experiencing Depression and Marital Conflicts. Journal of Health Promotion Management, 12(1), 95-112. https://jhpm.ir/browse.php?a_id=1555&sid=1&slc_lang=en
Ozen, L. J., & Cuijpers, P. (2022). The efficacy of mindfulness‑based cognitive therapy to improve depression symptoms and quality of life in individuals with memory difficulties and caregivers. Alzheimer's & Dementia: TRCI. https://doi.org/10.1002/trc2.12252
Sayadi, A. R., Bagheri, S. H. S., Khodadadi, A., & Torababadi, R. J. (2022). The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Training on Serum Cortisol Levels, Depression, Stress, and Anxiety in Type 2 Diabetic Older Adults During the COVID-19 Outbreak. Journal of Medicine and Life, 15(12), 1493-1501. https://doi.org/10.25122/jml-2021-0437
Sofri, A., Mohammadzadeh, J., Ahmadi, V., & Mami, S. (2023). The effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy on self-efficacy, perceived stress, and depression symptoms in female heads of households in Ilam City. Alborz University Medical Journal, 12(2), 157-168. https://doi.org/10.61186/aums.12.2.157
Tajdin, A., AleYasin, S., Heydari, H., & Davodi, H. (2021). Comparison of the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy and reality therapy on alexithymia among male prisoner clients. Journal of Psychological Science, 19(95), 1519-1532. http://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.17357462.1399.19.95.10.6
Tao, S., Geng, Y., Li, M., Ye, J., & Liu, Z. (2022). Effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on depression in poststroke patients-A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of psychosomatic research, 163, 111071. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.111071
Yıldırım, D., Yıldız, C., Ozdemir, F. A., Özdoğan, M. H., & Can, G. (2022). Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program on Stress, Depression, and Psychological Well-Being in Patients With Cancer. Cancer Nursing, 47(2), E84-E92. https://doi.org/10.1097/ncc.0000000000001173
Zehtab, S., & Tabatabaeinejad, F. T. (2022). The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Psychological Well-Being and Quality of Life in Caregivers of the Elderly with Alzheimer's disease in Isfahan City: A Quasi-Experimental Study. RUMS_JOURNAL, 21(2), 187-206. https://doi.org/10.52547/jrums.21.2.187
Zhang, Z., Leong Bin Abdullah, M. F. I., Shari, N. I., & Lu, P. (2022). Acceptance and commitment therapy versus mindfulness-based stress reduction for newly diagnosed head and neck cancer patients: A randomized controlled trial assessing efficacy for positive psychology, depression, anxiety, and quality of life. PLoS One, 17(5), e0267887. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267887
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 ابوالفضل صادقی, محمد مهدی جهانگیری, داود تقوایی (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
