Cognitive Group Psychotherapy in Patients with Tuberculosis

Objective: Dysfunctional beliefs of tuberculosis patients have pivotal role in treatment and development of their serious psychiatric problems. Cognitive group psychotherapy has been utilized to manage the dysfunctional beliefs. Methods: In a quasi-experimental study and a pretest and posttest design, 24 male tubercular patients were selected by convenient sampling and then randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. Before and after 12 sessions of psychological intervention, they completed the Snyder Hope Scale (Snyder, 1991). Results: The student t-test showed that cognitive group psychotherapy, can significantly decrease dysfunctional beliefs and increase hopefulness in experimental group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Tuberculosis patients need psychological treatment as well as medications. These interventions can raise the level of hopefulness as one of the most vital components in coping with tuberculosis.