The effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive group therapy on reducing smoking and increasing student happiness

Abstract

Background and Aim: This study was aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive group therapy on reducing smoking and increasing student happiness.  Methods: The present study was a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test design and a control group. From the statistical population of students of the Faculty of Arts, Azad University, Tehran Branch, a sample of 24 people was randomly selected and placed into two groups of 12 people. They were placed in the study and control groups with random assignment. The study group received mindfulness training for 8 sessions of 90 minutes, and the control group did not receive any intervention. Individuals in both groups implemented the Oxford (1989) Happiness Questionnaire and the Fagerstrom (1989) Smoking Questionnaire before and after the intervention, and the collected data were analyzed by the analysis of covariance.  Results: This study showed that there was a significant difference between the study and control groups in terms of reducing smoking (P = 0.02) and increasing happiness (P = 0.03). But the results did not show a significant difference in the difference between male and female students in reducing smoking and increasing happiness.  Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the training of mindfulness-based cognitive group therapy has been effective in reducing smoking and increasing students' happiness.