A
Mahdi Rahmani; mohsen jalali; elnaz pourahmadi; Abdolsamad nikan
Abstract
Objective: Patients with Ménière's disease often report experiencing various psychological challenges, including heightened levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. Despite these concerns, research addressing the treatment of psychological aspects in Ménière's disease remains ...
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Objective: Patients with Ménière's disease often report experiencing various psychological challenges, including heightened levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. Despite these concerns, research addressing the treatment of psychological aspects in Ménière's disease remains limited. Individuals living with this condition face substantial difficulties, compounded by the absence of a definitive cure. A review of the literature, both within and outside Iran, highlights a scarcity of evidence supporting the efficacy of psychological interventions for this population. Furthermore, existing studies provide mixed findings regarding the effectiveness of schema therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in alleviating anxiety, depression, and stress among these patients. This study aimed to address this gap by comparing the efficacy of schema therapy and CBT in reducing psychological symptoms in patients with Ménière's disease. Method: This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design to evaluate the interventions. The statistical population comprised patients diagnosed with Ménière's disease who exhibited comorbid depression and anxiety. From this population, 45 patients were selected using purposive sampling and assigned to three groups: schema therapy, CBT, and a control group. Participants were randomly distributed among these groups, with 15 patients in each. Inclusion and exclusion criteria ensured the selection of participants suitable for the study. The schema therapy group underwent intervention facilitated by the researcher in ten weekly group sessions, each lasting two hours over a 2.5-month period. The CBT group also participated in ten weekly two-hour sessions, administered by a therapist specializing in CBT. The control group received no therapeutic intervention but participated in the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up assessments. Psychological outcomes were measured at baseline, immediately following the intervention, and one month post-intervention using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS). Data were analyzed using repeated mesure variacnes. Results: The results revealed significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress among patients in both schema therapy and CBT groups compared to the control group at post-test and follow-up (P < 0.05). Notably, schema therapy demonstrated significantly greater efficacy than CBT in reducing depression (P < 0.05), while no significant differences were observed between the two therapies for anxiety and stress reduction (P > 0.05). These findings indicate that schema therapy was particularly effective in mitigating depressive symptoms during the follow-up phase, whereas both therapies were equally beneficial in addressing anxiety and stress relative to the control condition. Conclusion: This study underscores the effectiveness of schema therapy and CBT in alleviating psychological symptoms in patients with Ménière's disease. The findings suggest that these interventions may serve as valuable therapeutic approaches for improving the mental health of this population. Schema therapy, in particular, appears to offer superior benefits in reducing depressive symptoms. However, several limitations should acknowledged. The study's relatively small sample size and the geographic dispersion of participants posed logistical challenges. Additionally, the researcher’s dual role as therapist for the schema therapy group may have introduced bias, potentially impac the double-blind rigor of the study. Future research with larger, more diverse samples and independent therapists recommended to validate findings and refine treatment strategies
