Background: Cognitive-attentional syndrome (CAS) is one of the primary constructs of depression, the treatment of which is highly challenging because of its high prevalence and the emergence of symptoms such as feelings of sadness, emptiness, and hopelessness. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of behavioral activation (BA) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in CAS in patients with depression. Methods: This quasi-experimental research utilized a pretest, posttest, and two-month follow-up design with a control group. The study population comprised 260 patients with a diagnosis of depression who referred to the psychological centers of Ahvaz in 2019. The sample consisted of 45 patients with depression selected by convenience sampling. We randomly divided the participants into two experimental groups (BA and ACT) and a control group (n = 15 per group). The research instrument included the cognitive-attentional syndrome (CAS-1) questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24.0 with descriptive and inferential statistics, such as mean, standard deviation, and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Results: In terms of CAS and its components, there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the posttest and follow-up phases (P = 0.0001). Besides, ACT and BA significantly reduced CAS and its components in the posttest phase (P = 0.0001). However, the effectiveness of BA in decreasing CAS and its components remained during the follow-up phase. Furthermore, the results showed that ACT was more effective in reducing attention to threat and metacognitive beliefs during the posttest phase. Conclusions: According to research findings, both BA and ACT are efficient therapies in reducing CAS in patients with depression. Thus, both approaches can be used to strengthen treatment interventions to reduce CAS in patients with depression.
Little attention has been paid to the impairment of executive functions (EF) in depression disorders when evaluating the effectiveness of therapies. The aim of this s tudy was to evaluate and compare the effects of two important therapies of behavioral therapy approach, namely therapy based on Behavioral Activation Therapy (BA) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on the three executive function components of inhibition, learning rules, and flexibility in patients with depression. Materials and Methods: This research was quasi-experimental field research with a pre-pos ttes t and control group with a three-month follow-up. The s tatis tical population of the s tudy consis ted of all clients diagnosed with depression in the psychology and counseling centers of Ahvaz in 2019. Forty-five of them were selected by purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. To collect the data Tower Tes t and Word Context Tes t of D-KEFS were used. Results: The results showed that ACT and BA significantly improve the learning of rules, inhibition, and mental flexibility of subjects with depression immediately after treatment. However, the effectiveness of BA on learning the rules and inhibition was significantly higher than ACT. In the follow-up phase, only the effectiveness of BA on the two components of rule learning and inhibition remained s table, and ACT did not retain its effectiveness on any of the components of EF after a two-month period. Conclusion: Considering the different range of intensity and duration of effect of BA and ACT on different EF components of patients with depression, our findings can be useful for selecting and designing the most appropriate treatment approach according to the needs of each patient.t
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