Cognitive - Behavioral Therapy in Reducing Pathological Anxiety and Worry Levels among Patients with Multiple Sclerosis with Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Multiple Sclerosis MS is one of the debilitating neurological disorders, which, in addition to neuro-motor disorders, manifests with symptoms such as anxiety, weakness, and reduced problem-solving ability, leading to numerous physical and mental disorders. The present study aimed to investigating the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy in reducing levels of anxiety and pathological worry among MS patients with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. The method of the current research was a semi-experimental design with a pre-test - post-test with a control group. The statistical population of the research includes 40 women diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and MS, who had referred to the neurology clinic, using structured diagnostic interview based on DSM5 and using available sampling, 20 individuals randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group underwent cognitive behavioral intervention for 12 sessions, while the control group received no intervention. Pennsylvania Anxiety Questionnaire (1990) and Kettle Anxiety Scale (1957) administered before and after the intervention for both groups. Data analyzed using covariance analysis and SPSS version 26 software. The findings of the research showed that cognitive behavioral therapy improved anxiety in the experimental group (P>0.001) and cognitive behavioral therapy caused 56% changes in anxiety variables. Additionally, cognitive behavioral therapy reduced the mean of pathological worry in the experimental group (P>0.001) and cognitive behavioral therapy caused 46% changes in the variable of pathological worry. According to the findings of the research, it can concluded that cognitive therapy for generalized anxiety disorder is the most effective treatment for reducing anxiety symptoms, and the combination of cognitive behavioral therapy is more effective than treatments that are used alone. This therapeutic approach helps people became aware of the thoughts and imaginations that cause anxiety and teaches them to express themselves and shed their incompatible cognitive responses, and finally it facilitates testing the reality of his hypotheses and applying methods of interpretation and labeling of emotional stimuli that activated when facing stressful situations in a relative manner