Effects of Stress Inoculation Training on General Health and Occupational Adjustment Strategies in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Due to its chronic and debilitating nature, multiple sclerosis (MS) affects various psychological dimensions of patients’ life, thereby disturbing their adjustment to their situation and the environment. This study aimed to investigate effects of stress inoculation training (SIT) on general health and occupational adjustment strategies in MS patients.

In this educational trial, 40 people were selected by random sampling from all MS patients who referred to a special clinic in Rafsanjan (Kerman, Iran, 2018) and randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. Dimensions of general health and adjustment strategies were evaluated before and after SIT by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Bell Adjustment Inventory. The intervention group received SIT treatment weekly for seven sessions. Besides, data were analyzed using analysis of covariance.

The participants' mean age was 34.92 ± 7.32 years. Regarding general health dimensions, the results showed that the mean scores of physical health (11.40 ± 30.8), anxiety (6.10 ± 1.94), social health (6.70 ± 1.56), and depression (5.80 ± 1.32) did not change significantly after SIT (p > 0.05). Concerning adjustment strategies, SIT was effective in improving occupational (13.6 ± 1.35) and emotional strategies (13.2±2.74) with p = 0.038 and p = 0.021, respectively.

According to the results, SIT was effective in improving occupational and emotional adjustment, yet it was not effective in improving the dimensions of public health. Moreover, it seems in order to improve general health in MS patients, various variables are essential along with stress control.