The Effect of Peer Support Groups on Promotion of Physical Health Status of Patients Suffering from Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) results in a range of unpleasant، unpredictable and physically disabling conditions. Thus، health promotion programmes are needed and Peer support groups have been shown to play a role in health promotion. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of peer groups on promoting physical health status in MS patients. This before and after quasi-experimental study was conducted in Tehran MS Association (2010) on 33 patients participated in three peer support groups: 10 in male group، 11 in female group and 12 in mixed group. Eight weekly sessions، each taken 2 hours، were held. The patients were asked to fill out the Physical aspect of «Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Inventory» with 78 items (α=0. 93) in pre of intervention، two weeks after it، post of intervention and one month later. The Results show that peer support groups promote the physical health status (p=0. 001). In each three groups، there is a significant difference in physical health status in patients from before of intervention until one month after (p=0. 001). This change is increasing from start of intervention until the end of it­ and then is reducing up to one month after intervention. The results show that peer groups can promote the physical health of patients with MS; therefore، with the benefits of peer group، it is possible to promote the quality of care for MS patients، which in turn enhances the patients′ quality of life.