Abdolmahammad Safari; Jahanshah Mohammadzadeh; Vahid Ahmadi; Shahram Mami
Abstract
Objective: some recent studies suggested the beneficial effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on stress reduction and perceived stress, leading to the improvement of mental disorders caused by stress. Given that female-headed households are one of the most vulnerable groups of society that ...
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Objective: some recent studies suggested the beneficial effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on stress reduction and perceived stress, leading to the improvement of mental disorders caused by stress. Given that female-headed households are one of the most vulnerable groups of society that need to be studied, the aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction on the reduction of perceived stress and depressive symptoms among this group.
Method: The present study was a semi-experimental study with pretest-posttest and follow-up phase. The study population consisted of 400 female-headed households aged 25 to 50 years covered by Ilam City Relief Committee. The participants were randomly divided into control and experimental groups. The perceived stress and depression symptoms were assessed using Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (1983) and Beck Depression Inventory-II (1996), respectively. Mindfulness-based stress reduction program was performed for 8 weeks and all subjects were reassessed after intervention completion.
Results: Both groups had similar characteristics at baseline. The mean preserved stress and depression scores significantly improved in the experimental group after the intervention and at follow-up phase (p<0.001). However, no significant changes were observed in the control group (p=0.49).
Conclusion: Mindfulness-based stress reduction had a positive effect on perceived stress and depressive symptoms in female-headed households. It is also likely that the reduction in stress appraisals can improve psychological well-being and physical health.
