The effectiveness of compassion-based therapy on pain perception and perfectionism Men with irritable bowel syndrome

Gastrointestinal diseases impose a great economic burden and psychological pressure on society and the health care system. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of compassion-based therapy on pain perception and perfectionism in men with irritable bowel syndrome.

 This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest, posttest and follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population of the study consisted of all male patients with irritable bowel syndrome referred to Milad Hospital in Tehran in 1397-98. By available and purpose-based sampling method, 30 people were selected and randomly replaced in two equal groups of 30 people. Data were collected using the revised McGill Pain Form and the Jones Irrational Belief Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation), tests related to statistical presuppositions and repeated measures variance with SPSS statistical software version 26.

The results showed that in the post-test stage, there was a statistically significant difference between the mean total score of perfectionism and pain perception in the two groups (P <0.05). This difference was also persistent in the quarterly follow-up phase (P <0.05).

The findings of this study can provide a promising outlook for the effectiveness of compassion-based therapy on the psychological structures of patients with chronic medical disease, especially irritable bowel syndrome.