Introduction: Cancer, as a chronic biopsychosocial condition, poses significant challenges to children’s cognitive emotion regulation. This study aimed to investigate the impact of mentalization-based child therapy on cognitive emotion regulation in children with cancer.
Methods: This study employed a single-case experimental design with an A-B-A format. The population consisted of all 9-12-year-old children with cancer in Isfahan, Iran, in 2023. Four participants were selected using a convenience sampling method. Before the intervention, participants’ performance was assessed over three sessions using the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire to establish a baseline. Subsequently, mentalization-based child therapy was implemented individually for both the child and the mother for 12, 45-minute sessions. Post-intervention, participants’ performance was evaluated using the same questionnaire. To analyze the data, visual analysis of graphs and trend indices, stability indices, effect size, and percentage improvement were utilized in Excel software.
Results: The intervention had a positive impact on the components of cognitive emotion regulation in children with cancer. Participants’ scores on positive coping strategies increased during the intervention phase compared to baseline, while scores on negative coping strategies decreased.
Conclusion: Mentalization-based child therapy was effective in improving cognitive emotion regulation in children with cancer. It is recommended that psychologists utilize this beneficial approach to address the emotional challenges faced by children with cancer.