Comparison of the effectiveness of classical cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and stress reduction on the mind (MBSR) on self-care behaviors of cancer patients in Ahvaz

Different studies have confirmed the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction in improving the mental health of clients and their various problems, but the comparison of two cognitive behavioral therapies and mindfulness on the self-care behavior of cancer patients has not been done. The research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and stress reduction methods based on mindfulness in the self-care behaviors of women with cancer. 

For this purpose, this study was done in the form of a semi-experimental design using a pre-test-post-test with a control group. The statistical population consisted of all women with cancer who were referred to the Golestan Hospital in Ahvaz in 2022. Using a simple and available random sampling method, 45 cancer patients were randomly selected and assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (15 people in each group). The research tool was Tayyabzadeh et al.'s self-control behavior questionnaire (2019). The first experimental group received cognitive behavioral therapy, and the second experimental group received mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy in ten 90-minute sessions. The subjects of the control group did not receive any intervention until the end of the study process. Univariate analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post hoc test were used for data analysis. The findings showed that cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy were effective in increasing self-control behavior in the experimental groups, the significance level being less than (p<0.01). Also, there was no significant difference between cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy, and both interventions had the same effectiveness (p < 0.05).

Cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness therapy have a significant effect on increasing self-control behaviors in women with cancer in the experimental groups in the post-test, therefore, they can be used as therapeutic methods along with other medical methods of drug therapy to treat cancer used.