The Effectiveness of Transdiagnostic Therapy on Anxiety, Depression, Cognitive Strategies of Emotional Regulation, and General Performance in Women with Comorbid Anxiety and Depression

Background & Objectives: The purpose of the current study was investigation the effectiveness of group transdiagnostic therapy on anxiety, depression, cognitive strategies of emotional regulation, and general performance in women with comorbid anxiety and depression in Ahwaz, Iran. Materials & Methods: The population of this study was all women patients who referred to the Health Services Center of Ahwaz Oil Industry, (from December 2013 to May 2014). The sample consisted of 45 patients with comorbid anxiety and depression who were selected by simple, random sampling method and were assigned to experimental, placebo, and control groups. Prior to the intervention, the questionnaire was completed by all three groups. The experimental group received eight sessions of group therapy. The control group received no intervention, and placebo group, like the experimental group, only attended the eight sessions. Results: The results of MANCOVA and Benferoni post hoc showed that in the experimental group, anxiety, depression, and negative cognitive strategies of emotional regulation decreased and positive cognitive strategies of emotional regulation increased, compared with the placebo and the control groups.  In addition, a significant improvement was achieved in the general performance of the experimental group; however, no noticeable differences were found between the placebo and the control groups in terms of the variables. Conclusion: Group transdiagnostic therapy is effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression and improving emotional regulation

The effectiveness of cognitive behavior stress management on functional dyspepsia symptoms

Introduction: Functional dyspepsia and digestive disorders are common, debilitating and costly. Little information is available about the role of stress management in terms of cognitivebehavioral treatment of dyspepsia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral stress management on functional dyspepsia symptoms in patients who referred to digestion clinics in Ahvaz. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study, using pretest, post-test and follow-up with control group. The sample size was decided according to availability. For this purpose, 30 patients were selected using Rome-III diagnostic criteria with diagnosis of functional dyspepsia. They were divided with block randomization into two experimental and control groups (Each with 15 subjects). The experimental group received 10 sessions of cognitive behavioral stress management. But, the control group did not receive any intervention. Two groups were assessed at post-test and follow-up after the intervention. Data collection in this study was based on the NDI index. All subjects completed the NDI index for evaluating dyspeptic symptoms in the pre-test phase. At the end of interventions and post-test phase, both groups completed the NDI index. Also, all subjects completed a month after the end of the the NDI index in order to follow the effects of treatment. After the follow-up, the data were analyzed using the SPSS 14 and univariate analysis of variance. The significance level was considered p<0.05. Results: The result of this study showed that there were significant differences between the experimental and control groups in terms of functional dyspepsia in the post-test (p=0.000). Also, there were significant differences between the experimental and control groups in terms of functional dyspepsia in the follow-up (p=0.000). Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that cognitive-behavioral stress management strategies are effective in reducing symptoms in patients with functional dyspepsia. So, cooperation among gastroenterologists, psychologists and psychiatrists can have positive effects on these patients