Comparing the effectiveness of cognitive therapy based on mindfulness with Jacobsen’s relaxation technique on test anxiety in female elementary students

Introduction: The research aims to determine the effectiveness of teaching techniques based on mindfulness and relaxation on students’ test anxiety.   Materials and Methods: The statistical population of this descriptive-comparative study consisted of female students in the second year of the elementary Sama school in Sabzevar city-Iran (84 students). Thirty-six students with high score of test anxiety were selected and they were randomly divided into three groups (mindfulness training, muscle relaxation, and the control group). Two experimental groups received intervention during eight sessions. All participants simultaneously fulfilled test anxiety questionnaire one month after the intervention. Data analyzed through the t-test of independent groups, one-way analysis of variance, Tukey’s test, and SPSS software.   Results: The findings showed that mindfulness training and Jacobsen’s relaxation technique reduced test anxiety significantly in female students, but mindfulness training has greater effect size than relaxation technique (0.67 vs 0.58).   Conclusion: Based on the results, it seems that cognitive therapy based on mindfulness can reduce test anxiety in elementary students more than Jacobsen’s relaxation technique.