The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Group Therapy in Rumination Among Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disabling neurological disorder, which in addition to neuro-motor disorders, accompanies a variety of symptoms, such as anxiety, asthenia, and reduced levels of problem-solving, and leads to a number of physical and mental disorders. This is while rumination is among psychological problems that can negatively affect MS patients’ mental health. Rumination is known as a permanent engagement in a thought or an issue and is categorized as a conscious thought focused on a specific topic. This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction group therapy in rumination among MS patients. This quasi-experimental study was followed by a pretest, post-test, and follow-up design with a control group. The current study had a statistical population including all patients with MS, who referred to Sistan and Baluchestan MS Community from December 2016 to February 2017. Among them, 30 patients were selected as the sample using the convenience sampling method and were randomly assigned to a control group and an experimental group (each including 15 patients). Eight 60-minute sessions of mindfulness-based stress reduction group therapy were conducted on the experimental group. A post-test was carried out after completing all sessions and a follow-up was performed a month later. Yousefi rumination scale was used as the data collection tool. An analysis of covariance was applied to analyze the obtained data. The results indicated that mindfulness-based stress reduction group therapy reduced rumination in patients with MS in the post-test and follow-up (P < 0.05). Authorities are recommended to apply the mindfulness-based stress reduction group therapy to improve rumination among patients with chronic diseases.