Comparing the Effects of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders and the Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy on Emotional Regulation and Rumination of Depressed People: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Objectives Depression is one of the most common mental disorders and is expected to be the most important debilitating disease in the world by 2030. It is very important to pay attention to new treatments in order to reduce the problems of people with depression. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and the unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders (UP) are the new treatments proposed for depression. This study aims to compare the effects these therapies on emotional regulation and rumination of people with depression. Methods This is a randomized clinical trial with a pre-test/post-test design. The study population consists of all people with depression (diagnosed based on the structured clinical interview for diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) and the Beck depression inventory) who referred to the counseling center of Jihad University in Mashahd, Iran, in the summer 2021. Thirty eligible patients aged 18-50 years were selected by a convenience sampling method and randomly divided into two experimental groups; 15 in the MBCT group and 15 in the UP group. The tools including the rumination response scale and the emotional regulation questionnaire were completed at baseline and after the study. The data were analyzed in SPSS software, version 22 using descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and analysis of covariance. Results Both experimental groups showed significant improvement in the mean scores of emotional regulation and rumination (P<0.001). After controlling the pre-test scores, there was a significant difference between two groups only in the rumination scores, in favor of MBCT (F=7.87, P=0.009). Conclusion Both UP and MBCT are effective for improving emotional regulation of depressed people, where the MBCT is more effective in reducing the rumination of depressed people.