Volume 27, Issue 142, December 2023

Effects of group therapy based on Quality-of-Life Improvement on the meaning of life, selfcompassion, emotional selfregulation, and quality of life improvement in patients with MS

Marziye Feizi¹, Maryam Bakhtiari^1♦, Mohammad Ali Sahraian², Abbas Masjedi Arani¹, Amir Sam Kianimoghadam¹

¹School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
²Multiple Sclerosis Research Center, Sina MS Research Center, Sina Hospital, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

^♦Corresponding author
School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

ABSTRACT

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of Group Therapy based on Quality-of-Life Improvement (GTQOLI) on the meaning of life, self-compassion, emotional self-regulation, and quality of life (QOL) in patients with MS. Method: The current study was a pre-testpost- test randomized clinical trial with a control group and a six-month follow-up. The statistical population of the research included all the MS patients who sought treatment at the Specialized MS Clinic of Sina Hospital Tehran, Iran. With the convenience sampling method, 42 people were selected as a sample and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. The experimental group received GTQOLI for eight sessions. To collect data, the Meaning of Life Questionnaire, Affective Style Questionnaire, Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life (MSQOL-54), and Self-Compassion Scale were used. Multivariate analysis of variance test was used to analyze the data. Result: The results showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of the search for meaning, selfcompassion, and overall QOL in individuals with MS (P<0.05). The interaction effect of time and group for the total score of GTQOLI was statistically significant (F=3.426, P<0.05). Conclusion: In GTQOLI, clients are taught essential skills for improved life management and the pursuit of life meaning. This approach enables them to regulate negative thoughts and build personal goals around valued areas of life. More clinical trials are needed.

Keywords: Meaning of Life; Self-Compassion; Emotional Self-Regulation; Quality of Life

Medical Science, 2023, 27, e395ms3269

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v27i142.e395ms3269

Published: 29 December 2023