The Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Sleep Quality and Pain Management in Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Pain can interfere with the daily functioning of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Furthermore, sleep disturbance is a common symptom of MS. The dialectical behavior therapy program is presented as a detailed structured treatment program that was demonstrated that has effects on the treatment of psychosomatic disorders such as pain and sleep disorders. Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy on sleep quality and pain management in patients with MS. Materials & Methods: This research has been carried out as a quasi-experimental with pretest, posttest, and a control group. A total of 24 people were selected through a convenient sampling method from the patients of the MS-Society of Guilan Province, Iran. Then, they are randomly divided into 2 equal groups (experimental and control). The study data were collected through Pittsburgh sleep quality scale and pain self-efficacy questionnaires. The intervention process was performed for the experimental group as 8 training sessions of 90 minutes long. The obtained data were analyzed by univariate analysis of covariance and multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS v. 24. Results: The results showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of pain management (F=4.04) and sleep quality (F=5.64) (P<0.05) and dialectical behavior therapy had a significant statistical effect on sleep quality and pain management. Conclusion: Based on these findings, dialectical behavior therapy can be used to improve the quality of sleep and manage pain in patients with MS.