Comparing the effectiveness of emotion regulation therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy on emotion regulation deficits and repetitive negative thinking in caregivers of cancer patients

Objective: Caregivers, who are usually family members, experience high levels of psychological distress that are comparable to the level of stress experienced by cancer patients or even higher. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of emotion regulation therapy compared to cognitive behavioral therapy on emotion regulation deficits and repetitive negative thinking in caregivers of cancer patients.Method: The study was an experimental study with a pre-test, post-test, and two treatment groups. The statistical population included family caregivers over ۱۸ years of age of cancer patients referred to the chemotherapy department of Seyyed al-Shohada Educational and Medical Center in Isfahan in ۱۴۰۱. Sampling was carried out by purposive sampling. The research tools included the Pennsylvania Rumination and Worry Questionnaire and the Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale. Subjects participated in ۸ weekly ۹۰-minute group therapy sessions of emotion regulation therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy. In order to obtain the research results, SPSS ۲۷ software and generalized estimating equations were used to analyze the data.Findings: Both emotion regulation therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy interventions showed significant and sustained symptom reduction in the research variables. Emotion regulation therapy showed greater symptom reduction in emotion regulation deficits and repetitive negative thinking.Conclusion: Since emotion regulation therapy was more successful in reducing repetitive negative thinking and emotion regulation deficits, emotion regulation therapy is a valuable alternative for treating caregivers of cancer patients.

کلیدواژه ها:

emotion regulation ، repetitive negative thinking ، cancer ، cognitive behavioral ، caregivers