Investigating the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral group therapy on psycho-social and emotional adaptability and cognitive flexibility in people with multiple sclerosis in Hamedan, Iran

Introduction Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that profoundly impacts the patient's life. This study investigates the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral group therapy on psycho-social and emotional adaptability and cognitive flexibility in patients with multiple sclerosis in Hamedan city. Methods The current study was semi-experimental and was designed with a pretest–posttest and follow-up with a control group. The statistical population included all people suffering from MS who referred to the MS association in Hamedan, Iran, in 2022, among whom 30 people were selected by sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups (each group of 15 people). The experimental group received cognitive behavioral intervention during eight sessions of 90 min weekly. The control group did not receive any interventions. The subjects were re-evaluated after 2 months for follow-up. The data were collected using a psycho-social adaptability with illness scale questionnaire, Bell’s emotional adjustment questionnaire, and cognitive flexibility inventory questionnaire. The data were analyzed using variance analysis with repeated measurements using SPSS-21 software. Results The results revealed that the cognitive behavioral therapy intervention significantly impacted the improvement of psycho-social and emotional adaptability and cognitive flexibility compared to the control group. This impact persisted until the follow-up stage. Conclusion Cognitive behavioral therapy removes cognitive barriers related to attitude and self-management by increasing the information, which improves psycho-social and emotional adaptability, cognitive flexibility, and, consequently, self-care behaviors.