Comparative effectiveness of psychotherapy approaches on Death Anxiety in Multiple Sclerosis Patients. A pilot randomized controlled trial

Background: Death anxiety (DA) in chronic diseases has occupied the human mind more than other diseases. Therefore, multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are more prone to DA due to recurrence periods. Objective: Among the psychological interventions the two approaches of logotherapy (LT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), They pay more attention and concentration on the subject of suffering. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of these two approaches on DA in MS patients. Methods: The statistical population included 48 women who were diagnosed as MS patients and had medical records at Iran MS Society in Tehran, in terms of entry and exit criteria, which were selected by convenience sampling. Then they were randomly divided into two experimental groups and one control group. This plan has an independent variable at three levels including: LT, ACT and the control group. The dependent variables are the subjects' scores on the Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-R) (Wong., Reker & Gesser, 1994). Therapeutic interventions included 12 sessions of 2 h per week. A 3-hour workshop was held for the control group. in which patients were provided with basic information about the psychological problems of MS, but no strategy was presented. In order to obtain the results, the analysis of covariance was used and in the follow-up study, repeated measures analysis of variance with an intergroup variable (mixed model) was used. Results: It showed that both LT and ACT groups were able to be effective and reduce DA in comparison with the control group and such a positive effect on the improvement of DA was evident both in the post-test and follow-up stages. However, no significant differences were observed in comparing the effectiveness of the two intervention methods, so both methods were effective in reducing DA due to the nature of suffering. Conclusion: Considering the effectiveness of LT and ACT in reducing DA in MS patients, the results of this study can be used in order to achieve therapeutic goals and reduce psychological problems in chronic diseases.