Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Therapy on Dark Personality Traits and Experiential Avoidance in Individuals with Cardiovascular Diseases

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on reducing dark personality traits and experiential avoidance in individuals with cardiovascular diseases. The research method was a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test-post-test and a control group. The sample included 30 individuals with cardiovascular diseases who were conveniently selected from medical centers in Tehran and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 participants each). The experimental group underwent 8 weekly 90-minute sessions of mindfulness-based interventions, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Dark Personality Traits Questionnaire and the Bond et al. (2007) Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire, and hypotheses were tested using analysis of covariance. The study examined the effects of an 8-week mindfulness program on 30 patients with cardiovascular diseases. The results indicated that the reduction of dark personality traits and experiential avoidance was effective in individuals with cardiovascular diseases. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that MBCT was effective in reducing dark personality traits and experiential avoidance in individuals with cardiovascular diseases.