The Effectiveness of Positive Therapy on Psychological Capital and Emotion Expression Styles among Women with Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable life-altering disease gradually leading to disability. Improved quality of life could prevent the onset of disease attacks and progressive disability associatedwith physical illness. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of positive therapy on psychological capital and emotion expression styles among women with multiple sclerosis.

This study was of quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, a 2-month follow-up, and a control group. Participants included 24 women with multiple sclerosis who were members of the MS Association of Tehran in 2019, selected via convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to two groups. The experimental group received eight 90-minute positive therapy sessions. In three steps, participants filled-out the Luthans Psychological Capital Questionnaire and the Amuns & King Ambiguity Questionnaire. The obtained data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance.

The mean (SD) resiliency and hope of the experimental group increased from 18.7 (3.5) and 20.0 (5.1) in the pre-test to 21.5 (2.6) and 22.5 (4.4) in the post-test, and 21.8 (4.0) and 22.7 (4.2) in the follow-up (P<0.05). The mean (SD) score of the control group did not differ in the pre-test, post-test and follow-up. The mean (SD) efficacy and optimism of the experimental group varied from 22.8 (6.9) and 22.9 (3.1) in the pre-test to 22.0 (5.9) and 22.3(3.6) in the post-test, and 22.0 (5.5) and 22.5 (3.9) in the follow-up (P<0.05); however, the difference was not statistically significant. The mean (SD) scores of the ambivalence of positive and negative emotion and expressing intimacy of the experimental group changed from 20.1 (3.0), 8.0 (1.6), and 16.5 (2.0) in the pre-test to 24.9 (4.2), 6.7 (1.4), and 19.9 (2.1) in the post-test, and 24.4 (3.8), 5.4 (1.8), and 21.0 (2.0) in the follow-up (P<0.001). The mean (SD) scores of the control group did not differ in the pre-test, post-test and follow-up.

Positive therapy increased the components of resilience and hope, but no significant change was observed in the components of self-efficacy and optimism among women with multiple sclerosis. Positive therapy increased ambivalence in expressing positive emotion and intimacy and decreased expression of negative emotion among women with multiple sclerosis