Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Illness Acceptance and Quality of Life in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury

Aims: Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) can significantly impact a patient’s Quality of Life (QoL) and lead to challenges in accepting their illness. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) has shown promise in improving psychological well-being in various populations. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of MBCT on illness acceptance and QoL in patients with SCI. Method and Materials: A quasi-experimental pre-test post-test with control group design was employed. The study population consisted of all female and male patients with SCI in Ahvaz City in 2023. Thirty patients with SCI (15 patients per each group) from Ahvaz City, Iran, were recruited in 2023 through convenient sampling. Participants completed Illness Acceptance and Quality of Life questionnaires at pre-test and post-test. The experimental group received eight 90-minute MBCT sessions. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to analyze the data. Findings: Significant differences were found between the experimental and control groups in illness acceptance and QoL scores at post-test (P 0.01). The MBCT intervention led to improvements in both aspects for the experimental group. Conclusion: This study suggests that MBCT can be an effective intervention for improving illness acceptance and QoLin patients with SCI. Further research with larger samples and longer follow-up periods is warranted.