Effect of Mindfulness-based Therapy on Pain and Depression in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Objective: Few studies have investigated the frequency and intensity of pain and depression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Thus, researchers recommend systematic screening and managing pain and depression in patients with MS. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Therapy (MBT) in reducing pain and depression in patients with MS. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. We conducted a randomized trial on 24 MS patients with primary pain and depression. They were members of the MS Society at Shahid Sadooghi Hospital in Yazd City, Iran, in 2017. The patients were randomly divided into the test (n=12) and control groups (n=12). They were evaluated at baseline, after the treatment, and follow-up using the McGill pain questionnaire and depression subscale of the hospital anxiety and depression scale as outcome measures. Results: The results of repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that MBT intervention significantly reduced the pain and depression in MS patients compared to the control group (P<0.05). Outcome measures remained at a 2-month follow-up (P<0.05). The effect sizes were 0.41 on pain and 0.43 on depression. Conclusion: Mindfulness-based therapy is effective on pain and depression of patients with MS.