--- title: Which works better for PMDD: cognitive-behavioral therapy or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy? description: Both therapies reduced stress and improved well-being in PMDD, with cognitive-behavioral therapy being more effective. However, neither significantly improved url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/comparing-the-effectiveness-of-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-and-mindfulness-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Which works better for PMDD: cognitive-behavioral therapy or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy? Randomised trial, 2026 # Which works better for PMDD: cognitive-behavioral therapy or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy? Both therapies reduced stress and improved well-being in PMDD, with cognitive-behavioral therapy being more effective. However, neither significantly improved emotional well-being. Moderate study design 120 female university students at Islamic Azad University diagnosed with PMDD ## What they did 120 female university students with PMDD were divided into three groups of 20. Two groups received different therapies: cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), delivered in eight 2-hour sessions. The third group served as control and received no intervention. ## What they found Both CBT and MBCT reduced perceived stress and increased subjective well-being compared to the control group. Cognitive-behavioral therapy was more effective than mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. However, neither therapy significantly improved emotional well-being. ## What it means for you Talk therapy can help women with PMDD reduce stress and feel better overall, with cognitive-behavioral therapy working better than mindfulness-based therapy. A limitation is that emotional well-being was not improved. This study used a control group but was not fully randomized, which limits confidence in the results. 120 female students 8 therapy sessions 2 hours per session ## About the study Original title Comparing the Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness -Based Cognitive Therapy on Perceived Stress and Subjective Well-Being among Girls with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Authors Zahra Seyfi Kordlar, Majid Baradaran, Azar Kiamarsi et al. Journal DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) Year 2026 Study design Randomised trial Participants 120 What was tested Cognitive-behavioral therapy versus mindfulness-based cognitive therapy versus control Read the paper [doi.org/10.22051/psy.2025.50616.3130](https://doi.org/10.22051/psy.2025.50616.3130) ## Topics [Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Cognitive behavioral therapy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-cbt/)[Mindfulness and meditation](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-mindfulness/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Non-randomised trial, 2024 Does cognitive-behavioral or mindfulness stress management help reduce PMS in high school girls? Interview study, 2022 Does a mindfulness program help improve PMDD and quality of life? Randomised trial, 2019 Does online cognitive behavioral therapy help women with PMDD? Systematic review, 2026 Do digital tools and apps help reduce PMS and PMDD symptoms? Study, 2025 Does cognitive-behavioral therapy help girls with PMDD feel better about themselves? Survey study, 2024 How common is PMDD in high school students and what factors are linked to it? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗