The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training on Vitality, Psychological Well-being, and Blood Pressure in Women with Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract

Introduction: Women with cardiovascular diseases have many problems, and one of the effective methods in improving their conditions is mindfulness training. Therefore, the present research aims to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness training on vitality, psychological well-being, and blood pressure in women with cardiovascular diseases. Materials and Methods: This study was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest follow-up design with the control group. The research population consisted of women with cardiovascular diseases referred to Shahid Rajaie Hospital of Tehran in 2019. The research sample was 40 people selected by purposeful sampling method and randomly distributed into two groups. The experimental group received eight face-to-face 70-minutes sessions of mindfulness training, and the control group did not receive any training. Data were collected using questionnaires of vitality and psychological well-being, besides blood pressure device. They were then analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures, together with Chi-square, independent t, and Bonferroni post-hoc tests. Results: The results showed no significant difference in terms of vitality, psychological well-being, and blood pressure (p>0.565) in the pretest; however, in the posttest and follow-up stages, there was a significant difference in terms of all variables (p < 0.001). This means that mindfulness training increased vitality (F=6.510, p < 0.015) and psychological well-being (F=12.893, p < 0.001) and decreased systolic (F=7.258, p < 0.010) and diastolic (F=4.751, p < 0.036) blood pressure in women with cardiovascular diseases, and the treatment results were maintained in the follow-up stage. Conclusion: The results indicated the effectiveness of mindfulness training on vitality, psychological well-being, and blood pressure. Therefore, psychologists and therapists are advised to use mindfulness training, besides other educational and therapeutic methods, to improve the vitality, psychological well-being, and blood pressure in patients with cardiovascular diseases.