Comparing the Effectiveness of Three Different Psychological Treatments on Depression and Dysfunctional Beliefs of Patients with Systemic Lupus

Lupus is a disease that causes tension in a person in response to threatening conditions. This research aims to compare the effectiveness of three different psychological treatments on depression and dysfunctional beliefs of patients with systemic lupus.

The research method was semi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design with a three-month follow-up phase. The statistical population of this research included all lupus patients undergoing treatment in Shiraz hospitals in 2017; 80 people were selected from the population of 750 people using the purposive sampling method and assigned to 4 groups (a control group, including 20 people, and three experimental groups, each one including 20 people). The experimental groups received the educational intervention (treatment) of acceptance and commitment therapy during three months in 12 90-minute sessions, of compassion-focused therapy during three months in 8 90-minute sessions, and, of combined therapy during three months in 6 90-minute sessions. The questionnaires used in this research included Beck's depression questionnaire (1972) and Weisman's (1987) dysfunctional attitudes questionnaire. The data obtained from the research were analyzed by analyzing variance with repeated measurements using SPSS-24 statistical software.

The results showed that the third-wave treatments' educational protocols significantly reduced depression and dysfunctional beliefs of women with lupus (p≤/0001).

According to the present study's findings, it is possible to use the educational packages of acceptance and commitment, compassion, and combined therapy to improve depression and dysfunctional beliefs of women with lupus.