Group psychotherapy: benefits in multiple sclerosis.

This study investigates the relationship between group psychotherapy and the psychologic adjustment of patients with a primary diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). It was speculated that such a program would decrease both patient depression and anxiety, at the same time increasing self-concept and self-direction. Forty-one hospitalized MS patients were screened for mental status, then administered a test battery consisting of the Depression 30, IPAT Anxiety Scale, Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Scale, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Following this, patients were matched into triads on the basis of pretest scores. Each member of the triad was then randomly assigned to one of three groups: insight-oriented, current events, control (nontreatment). At the end of 50 group sessions, all patients were reassessed using the same test battery. Results were analyzed by means of analysis of covariance and the nonparametric Friedman test. Post-hoc procedures were performed with the following results: 1) the insight-oriented therapy group was significantly less depressed than both the current events group and the control group and 2) both the therapy and the current events groups were significantly more internally oriented than the control. Not only does group therapy per se seem to benefit the MS patient, but any supervised group involvement appears to improve significantly patient emotional state.