The Effectiveness of Spiritual-Religious Psychotherapy on Depression, Basic Psychological Needs and Life Satisfaction in Patients with HIV

HIV not only disrupts the routine life of those affected, but also negatively influences their mental health. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of spiritual-religious psychotherapy on depression, fulfillment of basic psychological needs and satisfaction with life among people with HIV. The research design was a semi-experimental one with pretest-posttest and control group format. The population consisted of all men with HIV who referred to Imam Reza Hospital in Kermanshah. The criteria for inclusion were BDI-S, BPNQ, and SWLS. The patients with the highest scores were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (n1=n2=15, N=30). The experimental group was provided with eight 60-minute sessions of therapeutic intervention scheduled once a week, while the control group received no intervention. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). All ethical issues were observed in this study and the researchers declared no conflict of interests. The results showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in reducing depression as well as satisfying psychological basic needs including autonomy, competence, and communication with others (P<0.05). Moreover, in overall life satisfaction scores were significantly different between two groups (P<0.05). The findings indicate that spiritual-religious psychotherapy on patients with HIV in conjunction with standard medical care have a beneficial effect on health and reduce the severity of clinical disorders.