The intervention study of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on mindful attention awareness, experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion in patients with generalized anxiety disorder / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on mindfulness attention awareness, experiential avoidance, and cognitive fusion in individuals with general anxiety disorder(GAD).Methods:A total of 53 patients aged 18-60 years who met the GAD diagnostic criteria of DSM-5 were selected from the Seventh People's Hospital of Hangzhou from May 2021 to September 2022.After receiving routine treatment, patients were randomly assigned to two groups: MBCT group( n=26) for an 8-week mindfulness cognitive therapy and health education group( n=27) for an 8-week health education program. Participants were evaluated using the generalized anxiety disorder scale(GAD-7), acceptance and action questionnaire-2nd edition(AAQ-Ⅱ), cognitive fusion questionnaire(CFQ), and mindful attention awareness scale (MAAS) before and after the intervention.Data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 software, with the chi-square test, independent sample t-test, and paired sample t-test. Results:(1)There was no significant difference in MAAS score between the two groups before the intervention (42.63±10.18, 47.67±9.52, t=-1.55, P=0.13). However, after the intervention, the MAAS score in MBCT group was significantly higher than that in the health education group(54.42±9.87, 47.83±7.59, t=-2.27, P=0.03). (2) No significant difference was observed in CFQ score between the two groups before the intervention (57.11±15.97, 53.50±12.01, t=-0.77, P=0.45). However, after the intervention, the CFQ score in the MBCT group was significantly lower than that in the health education group(38.32±10.31, 47.11±10.66, t=-2.51, P<0.01). (3) There was no significant difference in AAQ-Ⅱ scores between the two groups before the intervention(33.79±7.90, 30.00±7.23, t=1.52, P=0.14). After the intervention, the AAQ-Ⅱ score in the MBCT group was significantly lower than that in the health education group(21.89±8.69, 30.22±8.68, t=-3.51, P<0.01) . Conclusion:MBCT has a positive effect on enhancing mindfulness attention awareness, reducing cognitive fusion, and mitigating experiential avoidance in GAD patients.