The Effect of a Psychological Training Program on Self-Management in Women with Multiple Sclerosis

Self-management is an important factor in the management of chronic diseases and symptom control. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a psychological training program to improve self-management in MS patients in Guilan province regarding the importance of self- management in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

In this non-randomized clinical trial, 50 women with MS in Guilan province in 2018 were participated in two groups of intervention (25 people) in a voluntary manner and control (25 people) in matching. The trial was conducted in Rasht. The self-management measured by Bishop & Frain (2011) Multiple Sclerosis Self-Management Scale-Revised (MSSM-R). After receiving the pre-test, the experimental group was trained with Psychological Training Program for five weeks and that were eight sessions, but the control group did not receive any training; after five weeks, both groups received a post-test and finally, again after two months, the follow-up test received. Data were analyzed by SPSS-22 software and Repeated Measures ANOVA test.

The results showed that there was a significant difference between the pre-test, post-test and follow-up scores in total self-management scores in MS patients regardless of group factor (F=11.766,P=0.0001). Also, the process of self-management changes were stable from the pre-test to post-test and follow-up stage (interaction between time and group) and a significant difference was seen (F=26.930,P=0.0001).

In line with the results, it is suggested that, while recognizing and covering the limitations, this psychological intervention should be used to improve the self-management of these patients in clinical and research positions.