Effectiveness of group cognitive behavioral therapy on illness and pain perception in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a paralyzing autoimmune disease. As a chronic disease, it has a massive traumatic impact on physiological and psychological variables. Taking the effects of psychological interventions on chronic somatic diseases, the present research was conducted to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral group therapy on illness and pain perception among patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

This study was designed as pre-test, post-test model. 30 female patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis admitted at RAZI Hospital, Rasht, Iran in 2013, were selected using random sampling in two experimental and control groups (each 15 patients). The survey on Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ) and The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MGPQ) was conducted for both groups separated by two months interval. Next, a ten-session cognitive behavioral group therapy was used for the experimental group. The control group did not receive any intervention. Data were examined with statistical test of analysis of covariance.

Findings of the study showed significant effects of cognitive behavioral group therapy on illness and pain perception in the experimental group in comparison with the control group.

Cognitive behavioral group therapy with the impact of incompetent beliefs and cognitive biases are effective on illness perception as well as pain perception.