effects of transcranial direct-current stimulation on rumination and self-inhibition in patients with panic disorder

Background: panic disorder causes patients to cease their daily activities and avoid social interactions. appropriate treatment helps these patients manage their worries, rumination, and self-inhibition, allowing them to return to normalcy. objectives: this research aims to investigate the effectiveness of transcranial direct-current stimulation (tdcs) on rumination and self-inhibition in patients with panic disorder. methods: this quasi-experimental research used a pretest-posttest control group design. the statistical population comprised patients with panic disorder aged 18 - 45 years who visited psychotherapy centers in ahvaz, iran, in 2023. convenience sampling was employed to select 40 eligible participants, who were then randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20). participants completed rumination and self-inhibition questionnaires at the pretest and posttest stages. the experimental group received ten 20-minute sessions of tdcs. data were collected using the ruminative response scale (rrs) and self-restraint scale (srs). analysis of covariance (ancova) was used for data analysis. results: the results indicated that tdcs improved rumination and self-inhibition in the posttest stage, demonstrating the treatment's effectiveness (p < 0.001). conclusions: transcranial direct-current stimulation can alleviate rumination and improve self-inhibition in patients with panic disorder. it is recommended that tdcs be used as a complementary treatment for these patients.