Effectiveness of Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (BCBT) on Dysfunctional Attitudes, Lifestyle, and Distress Tolerance in Young Adults with Hypertension

Objective: Hypertension is a common, asymptomatic medical condition. It arises from general or functional disorders and is referred to as primary or essential hypertension. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of brief cognitive-behavioral therapy (BCBT) on dysfunctional attitudes, lifestyle, and distress tolerance in young adults with hypertension. Methods: This quasi-experimental study used a pre-test-post- test design, a control group, and \    a ۴۵-day follow-up. The population comprised young male patients with hypertension at Moheb Mehr Hospital in Tehran between March and October ۲۰۲۵. From this population, a sample of ۳۰ people was selected using purposive sampling, and they were then randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (n = ۱۵ each). The experimental group received ۱۰ ۶۰-minute BCBT sessions over ۲.۵ months, per Rudd’s protocol (۲۰۱۲). The control group received only routine medical care. Both groups were re-evaluated ۴۵ days after the intervention. Measures included the Dysfunctional Attitudes Questionnaire (Weissman & Beck, ۱۹۷۸), Profile Health-Promoting Lifestyle II (PHPL-II) (Walker et al., ۱۹۹۵), and Distress Tolerance Scale (Simmons & Gaher, ۲۰۰۵). Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests in SPSS v۲۶. Results: BCBT significantly reduced dysfunctional attitudes (F = ۳۲.۹۱۳, p < ۰.۰۰۴), improved lifestyle (F = ۹.۶۶۵, p < ۰.۰۰۲), and increased distress tolerance (F = ۱۱.۳۱۳, p < ۰.۰۰۱) of the patients with hypertension. Effect sizes were ۰.۵۴, ۰.۲۶, and ۰.۲۹ for dysfunctional attitudes, lifestyle, and distress tolerance. Improvements persisted at the follow-up stage. Conclusion: Brief cognitive-behavioral therapy improves behavioral-psychological indices in patients with hypertension. Adding this intervention to rehabilitation programs may enhance patient outcomes.

کلیدواژه ها:

Brief cognitive-behavioral therapy (BCBT) ، Dysfunctional attitudes ، Lifestyle ، Distress tolerance ، hypertension