The effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on mindfulness and quality of life for patients with asthma

Introduction: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases and many psychological factors are involved in the onset and severity of the disease. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on mindfulness and quality of life for patients with asthma. Method: In this quasi-experimental study, convenience sampling method with pre-test and post-test design was used along with control and intervention groups.144 patients with asthma filled out quality of life Inventory asthma and mindfulness Inventory. 45 people showed a a high score on scales of quality of life; but, low score in mindfulness . Among them, 24 were randomly selected and were assigned to control and experimental groups. The experimental group received 8 sessions of one and a half hours of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, but the control group did not receive any treatment. T. test was used to compare the quantitative variables between the two groups, and Chi-square test was used for qualitative variables by SPSS v.22 software. Results: Data analysis showed that in the post-test stage, the mindfulness level of the experimental group significantly decreased compared to the control group (p = 0.002). Although the level of quality of life decreased in the experimental group, it was not significant (p = 0/351). Conclusion: Considering the role of psychological problems in asthma and the effective role of mindfulness in decreasing the psychological symptoms of patients, it is recommended that in order to scales of quality of life and low score in mindfulness in patients with asthma, along with routine medical therapies, use mindfulness-based cognitive therapy to improve their psychological problems.