BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Coronary heart disease (CHD) has a high rate of mortality in industrial countries. The progress of this disease is closely related to patients’ perception of the social support and their ability to regulate feelings. Therefore, this study was performed to determine the effect of dialectical behavior therapy on emotion regulation and perceived social support in patients with CHD..

METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was performed on three patients with CHD, who referred to Fateme Zahra Cardiovascular Hospital of Sari, in the second half of the year 2013. Patients were randomly divided into two groups of test and control (n=15 for each). At the beginning of the pre-test stage, both groups filled-out Fischer and Corcoran’s perceived social support questionnaire and revised emotional processing scale of Weems and Pina. Then, the participants of the test group received six weeks of dialectical behavior therapy, once a week, for 60-90 minutes. The control group received no specific interventions. Eventually, both groups completed the questionnaires again at the post-test stage, and the results were compared afterwards.

FINDINGS: The mean scores of cognitive emotion regulation components of the test and control groups in the pre-test stage were 112.7±2.5 and 113.2±2.2, respectively, and in the post-test stage they were 39.07±1.9 and 107±2.9, respectively. The mean score of perceived social support in the test and control groups, in the pre-test stage, were 24.6±4.6 and 24.7±3.5, respectively, and in the post-test stage they were 5.7±3.9 and 39±6.3, respectively. After the intervention, the mean cognitive emotion regulation score in the test group significantly reduced, as compared to the control group.

CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that dialectical behavior therapy can affect CHD patients’ perception of social support and their regulation of emotions.