Comparative Application of Positive Intervention and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Investigation of its Effectiveness in Improving the Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the positive intervention developed in this research in reducing the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and to compare it with cognitive-behavioral therapy. Method: This study was a semi-experimental research with a pretest-posttest control group design. The study sample included 45 people with generalized anxiety disorder who were selected by convenience sampling method by referring to the Welfare Counseling Center in Mashhad. The participants were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (positive/cognitive-behavioral) and one control group. For the experimental groups, positive intervention was performed for eight sessions and cognitive-behavioral therapy for 10 sessions. Result: The results suggested that positive intervention and cognitive-behavioral therapy significantly reduced anxiety, negative affect, interpretation bias, autobiographical memory bias and rumination, and significantly increased positive affect and psychological flexibility. Comparative results of positive intervention and cognitive-behavioral therapy demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the effectiveness of the two methods. Conclusion: Due to the lack of a positive intervention protocol for generalized anxiety disorder and its effectiveness in improving more symptoms in this disorder, it is suggested that the effectiveness of the developed positive intervention protocol be further investigated by researchers and therapists.