The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Interventions on Reducing Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptom Severity and Increasing Psychological Flexibility in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Patients

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the most common anxiety disorders, characterized by intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors, and has significant negative impacts on individuals’ quality of life. Considering the limitations and side effects of pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral treatments, the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions in reducing the severity of OCD symptoms and enhancing psychological flexibility. This research employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and a control group. The statistical population included patients with OCD who referred to psychotherapy centers and psychiatric clinics in Tehran in ۲۰۲۵. A sample of ۳۰ patients was selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Mindfulness interventions were conducted in the experimental group over eight weekly sessions. Data were collected using the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory and the Psychological Flexibility Scale and analyzed using covariance analysis. The results showed that mindfulness interventions significantly reduced the severity of OCD symptoms in the experimental group compared to the control group and significantly increased patients’ psychological flexibility. These findings suggest that mindfulness can be utilized as an effective therapeutic approach to reduce OCD symptoms and strengthen the ability to cope with obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. This study also emphasizes the importance of developing non-invasive, psychotherapy-based methods to improve the quality of life of patients with OCD.

Keywords:

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder , Mindfulness , Psychological Flexibility , Psychotherapy