Journal of Education and Health Promotion

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

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Mohammad Ghasemi
. Youkhabeh Mohammadian
. Ali Akbar Parvizifard
. Mohammad Rouzbahani 1
. Pardis JamshidMofid 2

1 Cardiovascular Research Centre, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah City, Iran

2 Ph.D. Candidate in Clinical Psychology at ShahidBeheshti University of Medical Science (SBMU), Tehran, Iran

Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: 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.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: 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.
RESULTS: 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.
CONCLUSION: 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.

Keywords

Anxiety therapy
cardiac rehabilitation
cardiovascular diseases
logotherapy
spiritual well‑being
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 12, Issue 10
November 2022
Pages 1-7

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