The effectiveness of compassionate mind-based therapy on cognitive and emotional processing deficits of adolescent soldiers aged 18 to 20 years with high-risk behaviors

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph. D. candidate of Educational Psychology, Department of Psychology, Sari branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran.

2 Department of Psychology, Sari branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran.

3 Department of Psychology, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran.

Abstract

High-risk behaviors are defined as acts that increase the likelihood of physical, psychological and social disastrous consequences for the individuals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of compassionate mind therapy on cognitive deficits and emotional processing deficits among adolescent soldiers aged 18 to 20 years old with high-risk behaviors. The method of the present study was quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test design. The population included all adolescent soldiers aged 18 to 20 years who referred to Valiasr Medical Center in Tehran in 2020. The sample consisted of 30 soldiers with high-risk behaviors who were purposefully selected among those who had completed the consent form based on entry and exit criteria. The selected individuals were randomly divided into two groups (15 people in each group). In order to collect data, Iranian adolescents’ risk-taking questionnaires, Cognitive Failures Questionnaire and Toronto Alexithymia scale were used. The experimental group was trained for eight sessions of compassion treatment and the control group did not receive any treatment. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance and SPSS-23 software. The results showed that compassion-based therapy reduced cognitive deficits (p < .01) and emotional processing deficits (p < .05). According to the results of the present study, employing compassionate practice and increasing positive emotions can expand an individual’s behavioral-intellectual treasury, pave the way for successful problem solving, reduce negative intra-individual emotions, provide interpersonal skills, and thus reduce risky behaviors.

Keywords

References

Abolghasemi, A., & Kiamarsi, A. (2009). The Relationship between Metacognition and Cognitive Failures in the Elderly. Advances in Cognitive Sciences, 11(1), 8-15. [Persian] Retrieved from: http://icssjournal.ir/article-1-523-en.html
Adibizadeh, N., & Sajjadian, I. (2019). The Effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy on Depression, Anxiety and Emotion Regulation in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease. medical journal of Mashhad university of medical sciences, 61(2), 103-115. [Persian]. Retrieved from:  doi: 10.22038/mjms.2019.13769.
Bagby, RM., Parker, JDA., & Taylor, GJ. (2003). The Twenty-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale-I: Item selection and cross-validation of the factor structure. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 38, 23-32. doi: 10.1016/0022-3999(94)90005-1.
Bagian Kulehmarzi, MJ., Karami, J., Momeni, Kh., & Elahi, A. (2018). The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy Based on Compassion on Resilience and Motivations for Suicide Attempts in People Attempted Suicide. Contemporary Psychology, 13(1), 26-39. [Persian]. Retrieved from:  doi:10.32598/bjcp.13.1.26
Bahadori, M., Mehrabizadeh Honarmand, M., Asgary, P., Ahadi, H., & Moradi, L. (2021). Effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy in alexithymia, adaptive behavior, treatment adherence, and biological factors in patients with type 2 diabetes. Razavi International Journal of Medicine, 9(2), 42-47. [Persian]. Retrieved from:  doi: 10.30483/rijm.2021.254196.1048.
BarghiIrani, Z., Bagiyan, MJ., & Bakhti, M. (2016). Effectiveness of cognitive therapy based on "compassionate-mind" on the modification of maladaptive schemas and reduction of negative emotions in students with mathematics disorder. Contemporary Psychology, 11(1), 103-117. [Persian]. Retrieved from: https://www.sid.ir/en/Journal/ViewPaper.aspx?ID=546215
Baskin-Sommers, A., & Sommers, I. (2006). The co-occurrence of substance usage and high-risk behaviors. J Adolesc Health, 38(5), 609-11. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.07.010.
Besharat, MA. (2007). Reliability and factorial validity of Persian version of the Impulsiveness Scale with a sample of Iranian students. Psychological Reports, 101, 209-222. doi. 10.2466/PR0.101.5.209-220
Broadbent, DE., Cooper, PF., Fitzgerald, P., & Parkes, KR. (1982). The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) and its correlates. Br J Clin Psychol, 21, 1-16. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8260.1982.tb01421.x
Burgess Dowdell, E., & Noel, J. (2020). Risk Behaviors of High School Students Who Report Knowing Someone Who Self-Harms. Issues Ment Health Nurs, 41(5), 415-420. Retrieved from:  doi:10.1080/01612840.2019.1663568.
Deputy, NP., Bryan, L., Lowry, R., Brener, N., & Underwood, JM. (2021). Health Risk Behaviors, Experiences, and Conditions Among Students Attending Private and Public High Schools. J Sch Health, 91(9), 683-696. Retrieved from:  doi:10.1111/josh.13059
Doorn, RRA., Lang, JWB., & Weijters, T. (2010). Self-reported cognitive failures: A core self-evaluation? Pers Individ Differ, 10(49), 717–722. Retrieved from:  doi.10.1016/j.paid.2010.06.013.
Eftekhari, R., Heidari, H., & Davoudi, H. (2020). The effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy on Alexithymia, Individual-Social Adjustment and Resilience of women exposed to divorce. medical journal of Mashhad university of medical sciences, 63(3), 2402-2413 [Persian] Retrieved from:.doi: 10.22038/mjms.2020.17098.
Galvez-Sánchez, CM., Reyes del Paso, GA., & Duschek, S. (2018). Cognitive impairments in fibromyalgia syndrome: Associations with positive and negative affect, alexithymia, pain catastrophizing and self-esteem. Frontiers in Psychology, 22(9), 1-14. Retrieved from:  doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00377
Ghodrati Torbati, A., Nejat, H., Toozandehjani, H., Samari, AA., & Akbari Amarghan, H. (2020). Comparing the effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Compassion Focused Therapy on blood cortisol levels and self-control in drug abusers. Journal of Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, 7(4),35-48. [Persian]. Retrieved from: http://jms.thums.ac.ir/article-1-688-en.html
Gilbert, P. (2014). The origins and nature of compassion focused therapy. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 53, 6-41. doi: 10.1111/bjc.12043
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam books.
Han, Y., Lee, Y., & Suh, JH. (2017). Effects of a sand play therapy program at a childcare center on children with externalizing behavioral problems. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 52(2), 24-31.‏ Retrieved from: doi:10.1016/j.aip.2016.09.008
Housman, D. K. (2017). The importance of emotional competence and self-regulation from birth: A case for the evidence-based emotional cognitive social early learning approach. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 11(1), 1-19. Retrieved from:  doi:10.1186/s40723-017-0038-6.
Jin, J. (2014). CDC report highlights risky health behaviors in high school students. Retrieved from:  https://newsatjama.jama.com/2014/06/13/cdc
Kirisci, L., Tarter, R., Ridenour, T., Reynolds, M., Horner, M., & Vanyukov, M. (2015). Externalizing behavior and emotion dysregulation are indicators of transmissible risk for substance use disorder. Addictive behaviors, 42: 57-62.‏ Retrieved from:  doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.10.028.
Kusev, P., Purser, H., Heilman, R., Cooke, A. J., Van Schaik, P., Baranova, V., & Ayton, P. (2017). Understanding risky behavior: the influence of cognitive, emotional and hormonal factors on decision-making under risk. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 102. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00102
Leaviss, L., & Uttley, L. (2015). Psychotherapeutic benefits of compassion-focused therapy: an early systematic review. Psychological Medicine, 45, 927–945. doi:10.1017/S0033291714002141
Mahdinia, M., Mirzaei Aliabadi, M., Darvishi, E., Mohammadbeigi, A., Sadeghi, A., & Fallah, H. (2016). An investigation of cognitive failures and its related factors in industry employees in Qom Province, Iran, in 2016. Journal of Occupational Health and Epidemiology, 6(3),157-64. Retrieved from: http://johe.rums.ac.ir/article-1-230-en.html
Mazaheri, M., & Afshari, H. (2010). On the relationship between alexithymia and depression and anxiety in psychiatric patients. Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health, 12(46), 469-470. Retrieved from: [Persian]. doi:10.22038/jfmh.2010.885
Neff, K.D. (2011). Self-compassion, self-esteem, and well-being. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 5(1), 1–12. Retrieved from:  doi:10.1111/j.1751-9004.2010.00330.x
Ogłodek, E. A. (2022). Alexithymia and Emotional Deficits Related to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Investigation of Content and Process Disturbances. Case Reports in Psychiatry. Retrieved from: doi:10.1155/2022/7760988.
Oshri, A., Sutton, TE., Clay-Warner, J., & Miller, JD. (2015). Child maltreatment types and risk behaviors: Associations with attachment style and emotion regulation dimensions. Personality and Individual Differences, 73: 127–133. Retrieved from:  doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2014.09.015.
Rochman, S., & Hodgson, R. (1980). Obsession and compulsion. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Sheshboloki, F., & Haroonrashidi, H. (2021). The Effectiveness of Compassion-Based Therapy on Meta-Cognitive Beliefs and Alexithymia in the Elderly. Aging Psychology. 7(3), 210-199. [Persian]. Retrieved from:  doi: 10.22126/jap.2021.6282.1513.
Sommers-Spijkerman,MPJ., Trompetter, HR., Schreurs, KMG., & Bohlmeijer, ET. (2018). Compassion-focused therapy as guided self-help for enhancing public mental health: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 86(2), 101-115. Retrieved from: doi. 10.1037/ccp0000268
Swanson, HL., & Jerman, O. (2006). Math disabilities: A selective meta-analysis of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 76(2), 249-274. Retrieved from: doi:10.3102/00346543076002249
Tajdin, AA., AleYasin, SA., Heydari, H., & Davodi, H. (2021). Comparison of the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy and reality therapy on alexithymia among male prisoner clients. Journal of Psychological Science, 19(95), 1519-1532. [Persian]. Retrieved from: URL: http://psychologicalscience.ir/article-1-835-en.html
Taubman-Ben-Ari, O. (2008). Motivational sources of driving and their associations with reckless driving cognitions and behavior. European Review of Applied Psychology, 58, 51-64. Retrieved from:  doi:10.1016/j.erap.2005.08.002
Voortman, M., De Vries, J., Hendriks, C. M., Elfferich, M. D., Wijnen, P. A., & Drent, M. (2019). Everyday cognitive failure in patients suffering from neurosarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis, Vasculitis, and Diffuse Lung Diseases, 36(1), 2. Retrieved from:  doi: 10.36141/svdld.v36i1.7412.
Wallace, J. C., Popp, E., & Mondore, S. (2006). Safety climate as a mediator between foundation climates and occupational accidents: A group-level investigation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(3), 681–688. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.91.3.681
Wallace, JC. (2004). Confirmatory factor analysis of the cognitive failures questionnaire: Evidence for dimensionality and construct validity. Personality and Individual Differences, 37, 307–324. Retrieved from:  doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2003.09.005.
World Medical Association (2013). World medical association declaration of helsinki: ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA, 310(20), 2191-2194. Retrieved from: doi:10.1001/jama.2013.281053
Yellman, MA., Bryan, L., Sauber-Schatz, EK., & Brener, N. (2019). Transportation Risk Behaviors Among High School Students- Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States. 21, 69(1), 77-83. Retrieved from: doi: 10.15585/mmwr.su6901a9
Yi, X., Liu, Z., & Qiao, W. et al. (2020). Clustering effects of health risk behavior on mental health and physical activity in Chinese adolescents. Health Qual Life Outcomes 18, 211 (2020). Retrieved from: doi: 10.1186/s12955-020-01468-z
Zadeh Mohammadi, A., & Ahmad Abadi, Z. (2008). Investigation of high-risk behaviors among adolescent’s strategies for crime prevention in the family environment. Journal of Family Studies, 5(20), 467-485. [Persian]. Retrieved from: https://www.sid.ir/Fa/Journal/ViewPaper.aspx?id=116843

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics