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Study aim
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Determining the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on anxiety, irrational beliefs, quality of life, and self-compassion in patients with functional dyspepsia.
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Design
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Clinical trial with control group, parallel, randomized, unblinded, single-phase, on 30 patients (15 in experimental group, 15 in control group). Simple randomization using Random Allocation Software and allocation concealment using sealed envelopes.
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Settings and conduct
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Quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest and control group. Sample: 30 patients with functional dyspepsia in Ahvaz (15 experimental, 15 control), selected purposively and randomly assigned. Experimental group receives 8 weekly 90-minute MBCT sessions; control group receives no intervention. No blinding.
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Participants/Inclusion and exclusion criteria
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**Inclusion Criteria:** Definitive diagnosis of functional dyspepsia based on Rome IV criteria, age 20 to 55 years, minimum high school diploma, residence in Ahvaz city, signed informed consent.
**Exclusion Criteria:** Use of psychiatric medications, concurrent use of other treatment methods, refusal to complete questionnaires, absence of two or more sessions, incomplete questionnaires, occurrence of stressful events in the past three months (divorce, death of close relatives or close friends).
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Intervention groups
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**Experimental Group:** 8 sessions of 90-minute group MBCT (once weekly for 8 weeks) based on the protocol by Segal et al. (2002). Content: mindfulness, body focus, identifying negative thoughts, emotional acceptance, mind-body connection, self-compassion, consolidation of changes, and summary.
**Control Group:** No intervention during the study (waiting list). Treatment offered after study completion upon request.
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Main outcome variables
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Anxiety; irrational beliefs; quality of life; self-compassion.