Comparing the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy with narrative therapy on fatigue and health anxiety in patients with MS

Background & Aim: Fatigue and anxiety are two significant complications that greatly impact the life quality for individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and narrative therapy in reducing health anxiety and fatigue among MS patients in Tehran. Methods:This semi-experimental study utilized a pre-test-post-test type and followup method to examine the effects of a treatment on 45 patients with multiple sclerosis.The participants were selected through a purposive sampling method at the Empowerment Charity in Tehran in 2023.Two groups received cognitivebehavioral therapy and narrative therapy interventions while the control group did not receive treatment.The research tools included Salkovskis's (2000) health anxiety questionnaire and Krupp's (1989) fatigue questionnaire.Data analysis was performed using statistical analysis of variance with repeated measurements. Results:The results showed that both cognitive-behavioral therapy and narrative therapy were effective on health anxiety and fatigue in patients with Multiple Sclerosis.The effect size for these therapies was 0.194 and 0.665 respectively, with a significance level of 0.001.Additionally, narrative therapy in reducing fatigue was significantly greater than that of cognitive-behavioral therapy (P<0.01). Conclusion:It appears that cognitive-behavioral therapy and narrative therapy can serve as effective complementary treatments for Multiple Sclerosis patients in addition to other treatment methods.