Abstract

Background and Objectives: Multiple Schlorosis (MS) is one of the most common chronic neurological disorders, in which women are developed three times greater than men. Approximately, 60% of patients with MS suffer from depression. This study was aimed to determine the effect of group cognitive-behavioral interventions on depression in patients with MS referred to MS Association of West Azerbaijan. Materials and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study conducted on 80 patients with MS. Samples were selected through convenience sampling and randomly divided into experimental (n=40) and control (n=40) groups. The data collection instruments were a demographic and Beck questionnaires which were completed before and after the intervention. Group cognitive-behavioral intervention for the participants in the intervention group was hold for nine one-hour sessions. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 21, and both descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Results: The results of the present study showed that depression scores after intervention were significant for both groups (p<0.001). So that, after intervention, the mean score of depression in the experimental group decreased significantly (P<0.001). Conclusions: Group cognitive-behavioral intervention is effective for reducing depression in patients with MS. Therefore, it can be used as a treatment procedure for reducing depression.

Keywords: ...