The effectiveness of Meaning-Centered Group Psychotherapy on improving spiritual well-being and reducing anxiety in Iranian male cardiovascular patients

BACKGROUND AND

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the most important cause of death in Iran and the Kermanshah province. One of the most important problems that cardiovascular patients are dealing with is the psychological consequences of their illness. This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of Meaning‑Centered Group Psychotherapy (MCGP) intervention in improving spiritual well‑being and reducing anxiety in cardiovascular patients.

The study population included all patients referred to specialized cardiovascular centers in Kermanshah province in 2019. The participants consisted of 30 patients who were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups after the primary and secondary screening. The experimental group received routine treatment + MCGP (8 weeks and 90–120 min per session) and the control group only received routine treatment. The dependent variables were assessed by Spiritual Well‑Being Scale and Beck Anxiety Inventory before and after receiving the treatment and 2 months after the treatment. ANCOVA and multivariate analysis of covariance were applied to the data through SPSS‑22. IBM Corp. Released 2013. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.

The results of covariance analysis showed that MCGP increased spiritual/existential well‑being and decreased anxiety in the experimental group (P < 0.001), while no significant difference was traced in the control group.

The findings of this randomized controlled trial provide good evidence for the effectiveness of MCGP as a treatment to improve the psychological and spiritual/existential distress in patients with CVDs.