Comparing the Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Compassion-Focused Therapy on Death Anxiety and Negative Meta-Emotion in Women with Multiple Sclerosis
Keywords:
multiple sclerosis, death anxiety, negative meta-emotion, solution-focused brief therapy, compassion-focused therapyAbstract
Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) on death anxiety and negative meta-emotion in women with multiple sclerosis.
Methods and Materials: This applied quasi-experimental study used a pretest–posttest design with a control group and follow-up phase. The statistical population consisted of women with multiple sclerosis in Tehran, Iran, during 2024–2025. A total of 45 participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned into three groups: SFBT, CFT, and control group, with 15 participants in each group. The experimental groups participated in eight 90-minute weekly group therapy sessions, while the control group received no psychological intervention during the study period. Data were collected using Templer’s Death Anxiety Scale and the Negative Meta-Emotion Scale developed by Mitmansgruber et al. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance, multivariate analysis, and Bonferroni post hoc comparisons in SPSS at a significance level of p < .05.
Findings: The findings demonstrated significant time-by-group interaction effects for both death anxiety and negative meta-emotion. In the comparison between the SFBT and control groups, significant reductions were observed in death anxiety (Wilks’ Lambda = .234, F = 44.30, p = .001, partial η² = .766) and negative meta-emotion (Wilks’ Lambda = .156, F = 72.90, p = .001, partial η² = .844). Similarly, the comparison between the CFT and control groups revealed significant reductions in death anxiety (Wilks’ Lambda = .282, F = 34.30, p = .001, partial η² = .718) and negative meta-emotion (Wilks’ Lambda = .120, F = 165.50, p = .001, partial η² = .880). Bonferroni post hoc comparisons showed that both intervention groups differed significantly from the control group at posttest and follow-up stages. Although the CFT group showed descriptively greater reductions in death anxiety and negative meta-emotion, the direct differences between SFBT and CFT were not statistically significant.
Conclusion: The results indicated that both Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Compassion-Focused Therapy were effective in reducing death anxiety and negative meta-emotion in women with multiple sclerosis, and the treatment effects remained stable at follow-up. These findings suggest that brief solution-oriented and compassion-based psychological interventions can serve as effective supportive treatments alongside medical care for women with chronic neurological illness. Both approaches may help patients improve emotional adjustment, reduce existential distress, and develop more adaptive emotional coping strategies.
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References
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