The Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Self-Compassion and Distress Tolerance in Women with Anxiety Disorders
Downloads
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of CBT in enhancing self-compassion and increasing distress tolerance among women diagnosed with anxiety disorders.
Methods and Materials: A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test design with a control group was employed. Thirty women with anxiety disorders were selected from a counseling center in Tehran, Iran, using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15) groups. The experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of CBT based on Beck's model, while the control group received no intervention. Pre- and post-test assessments were conducted using the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003) and the Distress Tolerance Scale (Simons & Gaher, 2005). Data were analyzed using ANCOVA.
Findings: After controlling for pre-test scores, an ANCOVA showed that CBT significantly increased self-compassion (F = 20.96, p < .001, η² = .43) and distress tolerance (F = 17.23, p < .001, η² = .38) in the experimental group compared to the control group.
Conclusion: CBT appears to be an effective intervention for improving self-compassion and distress tolerance in women with anxiety disorders. These findings support the integration of CBT into therapeutic programs aimed at enhancing emotional resilience.
Downloads
Arimitsu, K., Hofmann, S. G., & Kumashiro, M. (2023). Predictors of self-compassion changes in CBT: The role of attachment and trauma. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 94, 102699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102699
Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. Guilford Press.
Bhuptani, P. H., Block, A., Jiménez Muñoz, P., Bello, M. S., Ramsey, S., Ranney, M., & Langdon, K. (2023). Enhancing distress tolerance to uplift motivation in recovery: Results from an open development trial. Digital Health, 9, 20552076231158575. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076231158575
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Ghamari Givi, H., Basir Amir, S. M., Farzaneh, A., & Ghavi Bazu, E. (2019). The effectiveness of Mandala therapy in reducing anxiety in adolescents. Counseling and Psychotherapy Culture, 10(40), 99-112. https://journals.atu.ac.ir/article_10484.html
Gilbert, P., & Procter, S. (2006). Compassionate mind training for people with high shame and self‐criticism: Overview and pilot study. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 13(6), 353-379. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.507
Goodwin, J., & Behan, L. (2023). Does media content have an impact on help-seeking behaviors for mental illness? A systematic review. Mental Health Review Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHRJ-06-2022-0038
Gromisch, E. S., Kerns, R. D., Czlapinski, R., Beenken, B., Otis, J., Lo, A. C., & Beauvais, J. (2020). Cognitive behavioral therapy for the management of multiple sclerosis-related pain: a randomized clinical trial. International Journal of MS Care, 22(1), 8-14. https://doi.org/10.7224/1537-2073.2018-023
Heinrich, L. M., & Gullone, E. (2016). The clinical significance of loneliness: A literature review. Clinical psychology review, 26(6), 695-718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2006.04.002
Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses. Cognitive therapy and research, 36(5), 427-440. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-012-9476-1
Khodabakhshi-Koolaee, A., Rezaei, Z., & Shahidi, M. (2019). Emotional Expression and Psychological Well-being in Iranian Women: The Role of Cultural Values Women & Health, 59(6), 647-660.
Kuyken, W., Warren, F. C., Taylor, R. S., Whalley, B., Crane, C., Bondolfi, G., & Dalgleish, T. (2020). Efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in the prevention of depressive relapse. JAMA Psychiatry, 77(6), 599-607.
Matos, M., McEwan, K., Kanovský, M., Halamová, J., Steindl, S. R., Ferreira, N., & Gilbert, P. (2021). Fears of compassion magnify the harmful effects of threat of COVID‐19 on mental health and social safeness across 21 countries. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 28(6), 1317-1333. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2601
Narimani, M., Abolghasemi, A., & Rajabi, M. (2021). The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral interventions on resilience and emotion regulation in Iranian clinical samples: A meta-analysis. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry, 16(2), 113-122.
Neff, K. D. (2003). Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and identity, 2(2), 85-101. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309032
Neff, K. D. (2021). Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive. New York: Harper Wave. https://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Self-Compassion-Harness-Kindness-Thrive/dp/006299106X
Neff, K. D. (2023). Self-Compassion: Theory, Method, Research, and Intervention. Annu. Rev.. Psychol., 18, 193-218. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-032420-031047
Neff, K. D., Rude, S. S., & Kirkpatrick, K. L. (2007). An examination of self-compassion in relation to positive psychological functioning and personality traits. Journal of research in personality, 41(4), 908-916. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2006.08.002
Patton, T., Abramovitz, D., Johnson, D., Leas, E., Nobles, A., Caputi, T., & Bórquez, A. (2022). Characterizing Help-Seeking Searches for Substance Use Treatment From Google Trends and Assessing Their Use for Infoveillance: Longitudinal Descriptive and Validation Statistical Analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24(12), e41527. https://doi.org/10.2196/41527
Rafezi, Z., Pirabbasi, G., & Eskandari, H. (2021). Efficacy of group metacognitive therapy on emotional self-regulation and ego strength of anxious students. Monthly Journal of Psychological Science, 20(108), 2243-2254. https://doi.org/10.52547/JPS.20.108.2239
Saeedi, M., Khalatbari, J., Shiroodi, S., & Aboo Ghasemi, S. (2020). A comparison of the effectiveness of CBT and compassion-focused therapy on impulsivity in women on the verge of divorce. Community Health, 14(1), 73-83. https://chj.rums.ac.ir/article_110641.html
Setari Sefidan, K., Rooholamini, M. S., & Zare Moqaddam, A. (2018). The effectiveness of assertiveness training on anxiety in adolescents from divorced families. Ravish Psychology, 7(10), 85-95. https://frooyesh.ir/article-1-714-fa.html
Shahar, B., Britton, W. B., Sbarra, D. A., Figueredo, A. J., & Bootzin, R. R. (2012). Mechanisms of change in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: Preliminary evidence from a randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 5(4), 373-387. https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/abs/10.1521/ijct.2010.3.4.402
Torani, L., Sharifi Daramadi, P., & Farkhi, N. (2020). Development of a Wittgenstein-based philosophical therapy protocol and its effectiveness on depression and anxiety in adolescents in welfare centers. Family and Health Quarterly, 1(10), 99-111. https://civilica.com/doc/1377589/
Walker, A., Lyall, K., Silva, D., Craigie, G., Mayshak, R., Costa, B., & Bentley, A. (2020). Male victims of female-perpetrated intimate partner violence, help-seeking, and reporting behaviors: A qualitative study. Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 21(2), 213. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000222
Zeifman, R. J., Boritz, T., Barnhart, R., Labrish, C., & McMain, S. F. (2020). The independent roles of mindfulness and distress tolerance in treatment outcomes in dialectical behavior therapy skills training. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 11(3), 181. https://doi.org/10.1037/per0000368
Copyright (c) 2025 International Journal of Body, Mind and Culture

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.