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The effect of self-compassion-based therapy on anxiety and distress tolerance in women with bipolar disorder
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Mahmoud Bakhtiari Qaleh *   , Hossein Khedmatgozar , Elaheh Barzam |
| Garmsar Azad University , MahmoudBakhtiari.G@gmail.com |
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Abstract: (42 Views) |
Introduction: Bipolar disorder is a chronic illness characterized by severe mood swings and is often accompanied by high levels of anxiety and difficulty tolerating emotional distress. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of self-compassion-based therapy on anxiety and distress tolerance in women with bipolar disorder.
Methods: The present study was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population of this study included women with bipolar disorder in Razi Psychiatric Hospital and Armaghan Clinic in Tehran who referred to these centers in 2024. Thirty people were selected purposively and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The measurement tools included the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Simmons and Gaher Distress Tolerance Questionnaire (DTS). The experimental group received self-compassion-based therapy training in eight sessions, one session per week and for 90 minutes. The analysis of covariance method with SPSS version 26 software was used to analyze the data.
Results: The findings showed that before the intervention, the experimental and control groups did not differ significantly in terms of anxiety and distress tolerance, but after the intervention, the groups differed significantly in terms of both variables (P<0.01). In other words, self-compassion-based therapy reduced anxiety and increased distress tolerance in women with bipolar disorder.
Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that self-compassion-based therapy is an effective and supportive psychological strategy for women with bipolar disorder. The findings clearly showed that participation in this intervention resulted in a significant reduction in anxiety severity and, simultaneously, a significant increase in the patients' level of distress tolerance. These results emphasize that the inclusion of self-compassion as an emotion regulation strategy not only helps to manage anxiety symptoms, but also effectively enhances patients' capacity to be resilient to mood swings and life pressures.
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| Keywords: Bipolar disorder, Anxiety, Distress tolerance, Self-compassion-based therapy. |
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/11/9 | Accepted: 2026/01/30 | Published: 2026/01/30 | ePublished: 2026/01/30
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