Comparison of the Effectiveness of Mental Imagery Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Generalized Anxiety and Perfectionism of Shiraz Youth

Mental imagery therapy and dialectical behavior therapy have been tested for treating various mental disorders. The present study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of mental imagery therapy and dialectical behavior therapy on pervasive anxiety and perfectionism among young people in Shiraz. Methodology: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included the youth of Shiraz city in ۱۴۰۲, which was made available to ۴۵ youths according to the cutoff score of Spitzer et al.'s general anxiety questionnaire (۲۰۰۶) and randomly divided into three groups, mental imagery ۱۵ people, ۱۵ people in dialectic behavior therapy and ۱۵ people in the control group. Spitzer et al.'s generalized anxiety questionnaire (۲۰۰۶) and Frost et al.'s FMPS questionnaire (۱۹۹۰) were administered to all three groups before treatment. Dialectical behavioral therapy and mental imagery sessions consisted of ۱۰ sessions, with each session lasting for ۹۰ minutes. However, the control group did not receive any intervention. The follow-up evaluation was conducted three months post-treatment. Analysis of variance with repeated measurements was used for data analysis, utilizing SPSS software version-۲۲. The study found that both mental imagery therapy and dialectical behavior therapy focus on reducing persistent anxiety and perfectionism. Moreover, there was significant difference in the effectiveness of these two therapies in reducing the symptoms of pervasive anxiety and perfectionism (P<۰.۰۵). Discussion and conclusion: Mental imagery treatment and dialectical behavior therapy can significantly reduce generalized anxiety and perfectionism in young people. Therapists can use this therapeutic approach to improve abnormal perfectionism and generalized anxiety.

کلیدواژه ها:

Mental Imagery ، Dialectical Behavior Therapy ، Generalized Anxiety ، Perfectionism ، Youth ، Shiraz