The Impact of Consultation with a Positive Approach on Prosperity, Psychological Well-Being, and Happiness in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic disease that results in disability and low functioning, leading to feelings of lack of competence and self-confidence, reduced happiness, and difficulty in psychological well-being; therefore, psychological interventions are needed to improve health status. This study aimed to test if counseling with a positive attitude impact the prosperity, psychological well-being, and happiness of patients with multiple sclerosis.

This was a semi-experimental study with a control and experimental group and a one-month follow-up period conducted in Isfahan in the spring and summer of 2018. The participants of the study were 34 patients with multiple sclerosis who were homogenous in their age and education in two groups of control (n=17) and experimental (n=17).  A pre-test was performed, then the experimental group took part in the positive-oriented counseling session for eight consecutive 90-minute sessions within a month and the control group was on the waiting list. After the treatment sessions were completed and post-test was conducted one month after. To collect the data, we used Soleymani et al. prosperity questionnaire (2013), Ryff Psychological Well-being Questionnaire (1989), and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (1990).

The results of the repeated analysis of variance showed that counseling with a positive approach did not affect the prosperity of patients with multiple sclerosis; however, it led to an increase in psychological well-being (scores ranging from 64/52 to 60/50) and happiness (scores ranging from 71/62 to 72/84) of the patients with multiple sclerosis (p < 0.05).

It can be concluded that taking part in counseling sessions with a positive approach can help prevent psychological problems and improve the psychological state of patients affected by multiple sclerosis.