Background and Purpose: Regarding the problems of children with oppositional defiant disorder in learning and executive functions, the purpose of this study was to the effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on executive functioning and social emotional learning in students with oppositional defiant disorder.
Method: The research method is a semi-experimental with pre-test and post-test with control group. The statistical population consisted of all male students with oppositional defiant disorder aged 11-15 year-old in Gorgan city in 2017, 30 of them were selected using randomized two-step cluster sampling method and then randomly placed in two experimental and control groups (15 students in each group). The research tool includes the child health inventory (CSI-4) Parent Form (Gadow & Sprafkin, 1994), social-emotional learning questionnaire (Crane et al., 2009), and neuropsychological questionnaire (Koolidge, 2002). The experimental group was trained in 8 sessions of 120 minutes in group. Data were analyzed by covariance analysis after the end of the sessions.
Results: The results showed that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is effective on the components of executive functioning, including decision making, organization and lack in inhibition, and also on social-emotional learning components, including organizing task, peer relationships and self-regulation in students with oppositional defiant disorder (p<0/001).
Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that since the majority of people with oppositional defiant disorder have deficiency in executive functions, mindfulness education can be used as one of the complementary methods of treatment in these individuals.