Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Pathological Worry and Difficulty in Emotion Regulation in Students with Depression Symptoms

Introduction: On account of the high student workload, expansive cognitive assignments, and being in a competitive space regarding their assignments and the university entrance exam, high school students might undergo stress, worry, anxiety, educational problems, and psychological damages. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) on pathological worry and difficulty in emotion regulation in students with depression symptoms in Dehloran (Iran). Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test control group design. The statistical population comprised all female twelfth-grade students studying for university entrance exam applicants studying in Dehloran in the school year 2020-21. A total of 45 students were selected through convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to three groups of MBSR, DBT, and control. The research instruments included the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). The data were analyzed via descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of covariance. Results: The mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the pathological worry for MBSR, DBT, and control groups in the post-test phase were 33.67±3.69, 31.00±3.87, and 37.78±3.96, respectively. Moreover, the mean ± SD of the difficulty in emotion regulation for MBSR, DBT, and control groups in the post-test phase were 62.00±6.18, 61.60±6.95, and 72.20±6.84, respectively. The results indicated that the differences of MBSR and DBT groups with the control group were significant in terms of the scores of pathological worry and difficulty in emotion regulation of the entrance exam applicants with depression symptoms in the post-test stage (P<0.001). Conclusions: MBSR and DBT can be recommended to school counselors as effective interventions to improve emotion regulation and pathological worry in entrance exam applicants with depression symptoms.