The Effect of Acupressure on Stress and Anxiety Among patients with Multiple Sclrosis: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Introduction: Stress and anxiety are common in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). These complications exacerbate the symptoms of MS. This study aimed to determine the effect of self-acupressure on stress and anxiety in MS patients. Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, the 106 participants from the MS Patients Support Association in Mashhad, Iran, after signing  the consent form, completed the demographic form, stress, and anxiety subscales of the DASS-42. Then, they were randomly assigned to intervention and sham groups by using the coin toss method. Participants in the intervention group pressed the Shenmen and Yin Tang acupoints, and the sham group pushed 2.5 cm below the Shenmen and 3 cm above the Yin Tang acupoints for 15 minutes every day for one month. The participants completed the stress and anxiety subscale of the DASS-42 one hour after the final intervention in each group. The statistical tests used in this study comprised the, chi-square, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, independent t-test, and paired t-test. Results: The statistical analysis showed that Mean pre-intervention stress scores between the intervention group(34.73±5.80) and sham group (33.06 ±6.42) and also the mean pre-intervention anxiety scores between the intervention group (27.09± 6.99) And sham group (25.31±6.88) did not have a statistically significant difference (p> 0.05). Mean post-intervention stress scores between the intervention group (29.20±6.21) and sham group (33.73±9.44) and also the mean post-intervention anxiety scores between the intervention group (22.79 ± 5.68) And sham group (25.21±6.72) did not have a statistically significant difference (p> 0.05). However, the mean change of stress and anxiety in the intervention group was significantly less than the sham group (p< 0.05). Conclusion: It seems that acupressure can be used along with other therapeutic and pharmacological interventions to reduce stress and anxiety in patients with MS.