Investigating the Effectiveness of Mindfulness Therapy on Psychological Well-Being and Reducing Pain Symptoms in Children with Chronic Diseases

Chronic pain is a health problem that has a great impact on a person's emotions and physical and social functions. People with chronic diseases also face many psychological problems in addition to physical problems that these psychological factors mutually affect their illness. This study aimed to study the effectiveness of mindfulness therapy on psychological well-being and pain symptoms in children with chronic diseases (diabetes). For this purpose, during a quasi-experimental study designed as pre-test and post-test, 30 children with diabetes in Yazd Diabetes Center were selected by available sampling method and were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control groups. Subjects were evaluated for psychological well-being and chronic pain symptoms before and after the study. The experimental group received a 10-session mindfulness therapy program. The results of covariance analysis showed that mindfulness therapy is effective in psychological well-being and reducing chronic pain symptoms. Mindfulness seems to help to understand that negative emotions may occur, but are not a permanent part of the personality and it also allows the individual to respond to events thoughtfully rather than involuntary, and mindfulness has a positive effect on psychological well-being and the reduction of chronic pain symptoms in children with chronic diseases (diabetes).