Effectiveness of process-based therapy in working memory and sleep quality in women suffering from anemia comorbid with generalized anxiety disorder

Introduction: Women, due to menstruation, pregnancy, and poor iron intake and absorption, are prone to iron deficiency anemia and its effects. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of process-based therapy in working memory and sleep quality in women suffering from iron deficiency anemia and generalized anxiety disorder. Materials & Methods: This study utilized a single-case experimental design. For doing so, six female participants suffering from iron deficiency anemia were selected through purposive sampling and received individual process-based therapy during nine 60-minute sessions. In the pre-treatment stage, the participants responded to Newman, Zueling, Kachin, and Constantino's fourth version of the generalized anxiety disorder questionnaire and underwent clinical interviews. They also completed a working memory test and sleep quality questionnaire in baseline stages, third, sixth, and ninth sessions of the intervention, and finally at the 3-month follow-up stages. The data were analyzed using visual analysis, a stable change index, and a recovery percentage formula. Results: The results pointed out that the rates of overall recovery in working memory in the intervention and follow-up stages were 52.95% and 85.43%, respectively. Moreover, the rates of overall recovery in sleep quality in the intervention and follow-up stages were 66.57% and 75.78%, respectively, indicating success in therapy. Conclusion: Process-based therapy improves working memory and increases the sleep quality of participants. Therefore, it is suggested to be used as a method of treatment and complementary to medical treatment to remedy comorbid mental disorders and improve the general performance of people with anemia.