Effects of a mindfulness-based therapy and counseling program on stress and mindfulness levels among patients with major depressive disorders at the Mental Health Clinic, Ubon Ratchathani University Hospital

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study the effects of a Mindfulness-Based Therapy and Counseling (MBTC) Program on stress and mindfulness levels among patients with major depressive disorders (MDD). A quasi-experimental two-group pretest–posttest design was employed. The participants consisted of 40 patients with major depressive disorders who attended the Mental Health Clinic at Ubon Ratchathani University Hospital during September 2024 to March 2025. All participants included in this study were university students. Participants were divided into an experimental group (n = 20), which received standard treatment combined with an individual MBTC program once weekly for 60-90 minutes over eight sessions, and a control group (n = 20), which received standard treatment alone. Research instruments included the Thai version of the Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale (PHLMS) and the Suanprung Stress Test (SPST-20). The results revealed that, following the intervention, the experimental group demonstrated significant reductions in stress levels (p < 0.01), with stress scores decreasing by 59.72%, which was greater than the reduction observed in the control group. In addition, mindfulness levels in the experimental group increased significantly (p < 0.01) by 25.47%, whereas the control group showed no statistically significant change. Furthermore, mindfulness levels were negatively correlated with stress, indicating that higher mindfulness was significantly associated with lower levels of stress (r=-0.31, p<0.05). These findings suggest that the mindfulness-based therapy and counseling program is effective in reducing stress while enhancing mindfulness among patients with major depressive disorders.