Effectiveness of Group Behavioral Activation on Depression, Anxiety and Rumination in Patients with Depression and Anxiety

Zemestani, Mahdi; Davoodi, Iran; Mehrabi-Zadeh Honarmand, Mahnaz; Zargar, Yadollah

doi:10.22075/jcp.2017.2147

Effectiveness of Group Behavioral Activation on Depression, Anxiety and Rumination in Patients with Depression and Anxiety

Authors

Mahdi Zemestani

Iran Davoodi

Mahnaz Mehrabi-Zadeh Honarmand

Yadollah Zargar

10.22075/jcp.2017.2147

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of brief group behavioral
activation (BA) on depression, anxiety, and rumination in patients with depression and anxiety.
Method: In a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design including a control group, 27 University
students with depression and anxiety subsequent to primary clinical assessment and obtaining study
requirements, selected and randomly assigned to either BA (n = 13 8 females and 5 males) or a waitlist
control group (n= 14 8 females and 6 males). The experimental group received 8-weekly BA
sessions. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Rumination
Response Scale (RRS) were used as the outcome measures. All subjects completed measures at
pretest, posttest and 2-months follow up periods. Data were analyzed with multivariate analysis of
covariance (MANCOVA).
Results: The results of MANCOVA test showed that BA has significant effect on reducing of
depression, anxiety symptoms, and rumination. Treatment gains remained over 2 month's follow-up
period.
Conclusion: Brief group BA has remarkable effects on improvement of depression and anxiety
symptoms and reduction of rumination in students.

Keywords

Keywords: Behavioral Activation

depression

Anxiety

rumination