Study of well-being changes during Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in a non-clinical sample: A process of change study

The aim of this study was to determine the virtuous well-being changes during mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in a non-clinical sample and also to investigate the process of changing the variables of decentralization and perception of pleasure. 

In this study, forty female students living in the dormitory of Shahed University of Tehran in the academic year 2018-2019 were selected based on the convenient sampling method and were randomly assigned to four groups. The intervention protocol was eight ninety-minute sessions. All four groups were evaluated before intervention. While the first group fulfilled them after two weeks, the second group after four weeks, the third group after six weeks, and the fourth group after eight weeks fulfilled the Ryffs Scales of Psychological Well-being (RPWB), completed the perceptions of pleasure perceptions. Data analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics, and SPSS-18 software. 

The beta coefficient of scores before the intervention and the second, fourth, sixth and eighth weeks showed an increasing process of well-being during the sessions. This process became significant in the eighth session (P= 0.01). The subscales of self-acceptance and decentralization from the fourth session had a significant upward trend (P= 0.0001, P= 0.001, respectively). Autonomy and personal growth significantly in the sixth session (P= 0.01, P= 0.03, respectively), purposeful life significantly in the eighth session (P= 0.03) and the variable perception of pleasure from the eighth session (P= 0.03). 

The results indicated the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive intervention to increase well-being.