Effectiveness of emotional self-regulation on tolerating distress and mindfulness skills in the patients suffering from migraine

Introduction: Migraine has the potential to influence the patients cognitively, emotionally and psychologically in addition to causing physical problems; therefore, applying appropriate psychological therapies can decrease these damages. Aim: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of emotional self-regulation on tolerating distress and mindfulness skills in the patients with migraine. Method: The present study was quasi-experimental with pretest, posttest and control group design. The statistical population in the current study was patients with migraine who referred to therapy centers in the city of Zanjan in the summer of 2019. 30 patients with migraine were selected through convenient sampling method and they were randomly put into experimental and control groups (each group of 15 patients). The experimental group received ten seventy-five-minute sessions of emotional self-regulation therapy. The questionnaires applied in the present study included distress tolerance and mindfulness skills. The data were analyzed through MANCOVA method. Results: The results indicated that emotional self-regulation therapy has significant effect on tolerating distress (F=62/08, P≤0/0001) and mindfulness skills (F=26/83, P≤0/0001) in the patients with migraine patients. The effect sizes of this therapy on tolerating distress and mindfulness skills were 65% and 52% respectively. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study it can be concluded that the emotional self-regulation therapy can be used as an efficient method to improve tolerating distress and mindfulness skills in migraine patients through applying techniques such as recognizing emotions, managing them, and training abreaction.