Effectiveness of psychological training combined ‎with gradual muscular stress relaxation technique on quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common chronic diseases of the central nervous system. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of psychological training combined&lrm; with gradual muscular stress relaxation technique on QOL of patients with MS. Materials and Methods: This triple-blind, controlled, clinical trial was conducted on 60 patients with MS who were members of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Yazd Province, Iran. The subjects were selected through convenience sampling method and with the consideration of the inclusion criteria. The participants were randomly divided into 2 groups of experimental (30 persons) and control (30 persons). The experimental group received 12 sessions of psychological training combined with gradual muscular stress relaxation technique (2 sessions per week), but the control group received no intervention. The data collection tools used consisted of a demographic characteristics form and the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54 (MSQOL-54) &lrm; questionnaire. The questionnaires were completed before, immediately after, and 3 months after the training. Data were analyzed using the statistical tests of student&rsquo;s t-test, Pearson correlation, and repeated measures. Results: QOL score in the experimental and control groups were 50.86 &plusmn; 14.78 and 56.25 &plusmn; 13.09 before the intervention (p=0.141), 68.49 &plusmn; 11.81 and 55.76 &plusmn; 13.37 immediately after the intervention, and 67.80 &plusmn; 11.90 and 55.06 &plusmn; 12.83 three months after the intervention, respectively. This difference was statistically significant (P <0.0010). Moreover, repeated measures statistical test showed a meaningful increase in QOL score in the experimental group in the 3 measurements (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: The implementation of psychological training intervention combined with gradual muscular stress relaxation method in patients with MS increases QOL. Therefore, it can be used as a beneficial intervention method for improving the QOL of patients with MS.