Comparison of the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction training and positive psychology intervention on hostility and physiological indicators among cardiovascular patients

There is ample evidence that people with heart failure have many physical, psychological, emotional and psychological consequences.

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction training with positive psychology on hostility and physiological parameters among cardiovascular patients.

The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design having a control group. The statistical population included cardiovascular patients referred to cardiology centers in Tehran in the first 6 months of 2020. The sample consisted of 45 patients who were purposefully selected and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (15 people in each group). Participants completed a hostility questionnaire before and after the intervention (Radford, 1990). Mindfulness-based stress reduction training program with positive psychology was performed for 8 sessions, each session for 90 minutes and once a week for the two experimental groups. The control group did not receive any training. To test the hypotheses, ANCOVA and MANCOVA analysis were used with LSD post hoc test.

The results showed that there is no significant difference between the two approaches.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention and positive psychology can be suggested as effective methods to enhance general health and lifestyle and reduce hostility among cardiovascular patients.