Cosmin POPA1, Răzvan Predatu2,3
razvan.predatu@gmail.com
Abstract
The current study investigated the effects of an integrative CBT/REBT intervention on anxiety symptoms, negative emotions, irrational beliefs (IBs) and emotional stability in a sample of anxious medical students. In addition, we examined the role of IBs as a predictor of changes in anxiety symptoms, negative emotions, and emotional stability during the CBT/REBT intervention. A number of 60 medical students with moderate and high anxiety were included in the current study. Anxiety symptoms, negative emotions, IBs, and emotional stability were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Results revealed significant decreases in anxiety symptoms, negative emotions, and IBs after the intervention, as well as a significant increase in emotional stability. Also, when changes in specific IBs were simultaneously examined in relation to changes in anxiety symptoms, negative emotions, and emotional stability, the changes in Low Frustration Tolerance (LFT) were the only significant predictor of changes in emotional stability. Otherwise, only overall changes in IBs were significant predictors of changes in anxiety and negative emotions. Thus, current results indicate that CBT/REBT can be successfully applied to anxious medical students demonstrating beneficial effects on emotional and personality functioning by targeting IBs in general, and LFT in particular.
Keywords: CBT, anxiety symptoms, negative emotions, emotional stability,
irrational beliefs
Published online: 2019/03/01
Published print: 2019/03/01
