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Introduction: Psychological problems in mothers with premature babies is one of the important and significant issues, therefore, the implementation of psychological interventions in this group is of great importance. The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of Paradox Therapy on the symptoms of depression and rumination response in mothers with premature babies.
Methods: The research method was semi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test-follow-up design of 1 and 3 months with a control group. The statistical population included all mothers with premature babies referred to Afzalipur Hospital in Kerman in 2023, Among them, 60 people were selected by the convenience method after obtaining a score of 5≤ in the depression subscale of "Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale" and were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. The research instruments included a demographic questionnaire, "Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-DASS-21" and "Rumination Response Scale". Content validity of instruments was measured by qualitative method and reliability by internal consistency method by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient. After conducting 4 sessions of “Paradox Therapy” for the intervention group, the data were analyzed in SPSS .22 software.
Results: There was a significant difference between the groups in the variables of depression symptoms (F=99.59, P=0.01) and rumination response (F=47.43, P=0.01).
Conclusions: “Paradox Therapy” was effective in reducing depression and rumination response in mothers with premature babies. It is suggested to hold “Paradox Therapy” courses for mothers with premature babies in order to improve depression and rumination response.