Comparison of the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Therapy and Emotion-Focused Therapy on Heart Rate in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases
Keywords:
Mindfulness-based therapy; Emotion-focused therapy; Heart rate; Cardiovascular disease; Psychological intervention; Autonomic regulationAbstract
The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapy and emotion-focused therapy on reducing heart rate among patients with cardiovascular diseases. This quasi-experimental study included two experimental groups and one control group, selected from patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease who attended a specialized cardiology clinic in Rasht during the first quarter of 2025. Sixty eligible participants aged 45–70 were recruited through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to a mindfulness-based therapy group, an emotion-focused therapy group, or a control group. All groups completed a pretest assessment of heart rate, after which the experimental groups received nine sessions of either mindfulness-based or emotion-focused therapeutic intervention, while the control group attended a single non-therapeutic educational session for ethical purposes. Heart rate was measured objectively at pretest and posttest using a pulse oximeter. Inclusion and exclusion criteria ensured medical stability and the ability to participate consistently in treatment sessions. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni and Tukey post-hoc tests through SPSS version 26. Results indicated a significant main effect of time on heart rate (F = 28.45, p < 0.001, η = 0.33), as well as a significant group effect (F = 7.12, p = 0.010, η = 0.11) and a significant time × group interaction (F = 5.34, p = 0.025, η = 0.09). Bonferroni post-hoc tests showed significant heart rate reductions in the mindfulness-based group (MD = 8.00, p < 0.001) and the emotion-focused group (MD = 13.00, p < 0.001), with no significant change in control groups. Tukey tests confirmed that emotion-focused therapy produced significantly greater posttest reductions than both its control group (MD = −8.00, p = 0.002) and the mindfulness-based group (MD = 6.00, p = 0.017). Both mindfulness-based and emotion-focused therapies effectively reduced heart rate in cardiac patients, with emotion-focused therapy demonstrating superior physiological benefits and stronger autonomic regulation effects compared to mindfulness-based therapy.
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References
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