Medical Journal of Mashhad university of Medical Sciences

Medical Journal of Mashhad university of Medical Sciences

The Effect of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) on Emotion Regulation and Quality of Life in Patients with Post-Stroke Depression

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Sareh Bagheri 1
Gohar Albooyeh 2
1 Department of psychology, Go.C., Islamic Azad University, Gorgan, Iran. (Corresponding Author)
2 Department of Psychology, Se.C., Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran.
10.22038/mjms.2026.27802
Abstract
Introduction: Post-stroke depression is one of the most common psychological consequences of stroke that can negatively affect emotion regulation, quality of life, and recovery process of patients. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of intensive short-term psychodynamic intervention (ISTDP) on emotion regulation and quality of life of patients with post-stroke depression
Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population included patients with post-stroke depression referring to treatment and rehabilitation centers in Tehran's Region 2. The sampling method was convenience sampling. The final sample was selected based on the exclusion criteria of 27 experimental subjects (7 males and 6 females) and control subjects (6 males and 8 females). The experimental group received an intensive short-term psychodynamic program in 8 90-minute sessions. The research instruments included the Gross and John Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (2002) and the short form of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using univariate analysis of covariance.
Results: The results showed that after controlling for the pre-test effect, there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the variables of emotion regulation and quality of life (p≤0.05).
Conclusion: Based on the research findings, short-term intensive psychodynamic intervention can be used as an effective approach to improve emotion regulation and enhance the quality of life of patients with post-stroke depression.
Keywords
Short-Term Intensive Psychodynamic
Emotion Regulation
Quality Of Life
Depression
Stroke
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Medical Journal of Mashhad university of Medical Sciences
Volume 69, Issue 2
May 2026
Pages 221-233