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The effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy in Cognitive Emotion Regulation and Ego Strength among Cardiovascular Patients with Obesity

Document Type : Scientific Research

Authors

1 phD. Student in Health Psychology, Department Of Psychology, Khorramshahr International Brench,, Islamic Azad University, Khorramshahr, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Psychology, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.

Abstract

Objective: The present research was aimed to study the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy in cognitive emotion regulation and ego strength among cardiovascular patients with obesity.
Method: The method was semi-experimental with pretest, posttest and 3-month follow-up with control group design. The statistical population included all cardiovascular patients with obesity in Tehran who referred to Shariati and Rajaei hospitals in 2019-2020. The sampling method was purposive method. Thirty patients were assigned in two groups randomly (15 patients in each group). The experimental group received emotion-focused intevention in 90-minute weekly sessions for eight weeks. The control group were in waitting list. To gather the data, the cognitive emotion regulation (Garnefsk and Kraaij., 2007) and the psychosocial inventory of ego strengths (Markstrom, et al., 1997) questionairs  were implemented. The data were analyzed by SPSS-24 via analysis of variance with repeated measures.
Results: Results showed that emotion-focused therapy was effective in increasing positive emotional cognitive regulation (p<0.001) and ego strength (p<0.001). The effectiveness of this treatment in negative emotional cognitive regulation was not significant (p>0.05). The interactive effect of time group for the components of hope (P = 0.170, h2 = 0.018), desire (h2=0.182, P = 0.012), goal (h2 = 0.207, P = 0.005), competence (h2=0.141, P=0.042), loyalty h2=0.296, P = 0.001, F = 6.95), love (h2=0.317, P=0.001), care (h2=0.274, P=0.001) and wisdom (h2=0.190, P=0.011) are significant. The results of the Ben Feroni test comparing the effect of time showed that the difference in the average scores of the eight components of my strength in the pre-test-post-test and pre-test-follow-up stages is statistically significant, but the difference in the average scores in the post-test-follow-up stages is not significant.
Conclusion: According to the findings, it could be said that emotion-focused therapy was a reliable and a stable method in order to improving the psychological conditions of cardiovascular patients, especially ego strength and positive emotional cognitive regulation. In explaining the effectiveness of emotion-oriented therapy in increasing the strength of cardiovascular patients with obesity, it can be said that emotion-oriented therapy is by processing emotional experiences to cardiovascular patients in regulating their emotional functions and in this way achieve more consistent emotional responses that increase resilience and strength. Achieving adaptive emotional responses by modulating emotional responses and coping with disempowering maladaptive emotions increases my resilience in these individuals.

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Health Psychology
Volume 12, Issue 47
January 2024
Pages 119-132
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