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Comparing the Effectiveness of Short-Term Psychodynamic Therapy with Training in Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies on Body Dysmorphic Symptoms and Executive Functions of People with Health Anxiety
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Elham Omidi Moghadam   , Mina Mojtabaei * , Azam Ashori , Farnoosh Khodabakhsh , Elham Rahmani , Mahbubeh Bayat Mazlaghani |
| Rudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University & Rudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University , minamojtabaei11@gmail.com |
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Abstract: (345 Views) |
Introduction: Body dysmorphic disorder and defects in executive functions are important symptoms of health anxiety disorder. Accordingly, the present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of short-term psychodynamic therapy with training in cognitive emotion regulation strategies on body dysmorphic symptoms and executive functions of people with health anxiety.
Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental research method with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. All people with health anxiety who were referred to psychology and neurology clinics in Tehran's 5th district in the spring of 2024 constituted the population of this study. Using an available sampling method, 45 of these people who were definitively diagnosed with health anxiety disorder were selected as the research sample. These people were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and a control group (15 people per group). The first experimental group received short-term dynamic psychotherapy according to the Davanloo approach (2001), and the second experimental group received cognitive emotion regulation training according to the Gross & Thompson training program (2015). Subjects in all three groups responded to the Barkley (2012) Executive Function Questionnaire and the Ocetosine et al. (1998) Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire at the beginning and end of the study. To examine the research hypothesis, multivariate and univariate analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post hoc test were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 28.
Results: The difference between the two experimental groups and one control group in the levels of both variables of body dysmorphic symptoms and executive functions in the post-test phase was significant (p<0.001). However, short-term dynamic psychotherapy had a greater effect on body dysmorphic symptoms and cognitive emotion regulation training had a greater effect on executive functions (p<0.001).
Conclusion: In general, it can be concluded that short-term dynamic psychotherapy is more effective in reducing body dysmorphic symptoms in people with health anxiety. Also, cognitive emotion regulation training is better at improving executive functions in people with health anxiety.
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| Keywords: Body Dysmorphic Symptoms, Executive Functions, Health Anxiety, Short-Term Psychodynamic Therapy, Training in Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies |
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2024/12/2 | Accepted: 2025/05/31 | Published: 2025/05/31 | ePublished: 2025/05/31
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