Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Reducing Perceived Stress, Anxiety Traits and Symptoms, and Psychosomatic Symptoms in Female Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Introduction: Research suggests that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is frequently associated with elevated levels of perceived stress, anxiety, and psychosomatic symptoms, which can worsen the disorder and impede treatment progress. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in reducing perceived stress, anxiety traits and symptoms, and psychosomatic symptoms in patients with OCD.Method: The present study employed a quasi-experimental design that included pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. The study population comprised female patients who were referred to therapeutic clinics in Tehran and Tabriz during the years 2021-2022. A sample of 30 patients was selected and divided into two groups: an experimental group consisting of 15 patients and a control group also consisting of 15 patients. The experimental group underwent mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for eight sessions, while the control group received no treatment. The effectiveness of the intervention was assessed using repeated measures analysis of variance in SPSS software version 26.Results: The analysis of perceived stress, levels of anxiety, and psychosomatic symptoms was conducted using Benferroni's alpha and a significance level of 0.0005. The results indicate that mindfulness treatment is effective in reducing perceived stress, anxiety, and psychosomatic symptoms in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).Discussion and conclusion: This study demonstrated that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is an effective intervention for reducing perceived stress in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder.