PLANNING AND EVALUATION OF STRESS MANAGEMENTEDUCATIONAL PROGRAM TO IMPROVE BEHAVIOR IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATIENTS BASED ON BASNEF MODEL

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common diseases of the central
nervous system. MS is the result of damage to myelin. There is the exact relationship between stress
and the onset or progression of MS so stress management is important in MS patients.
Materials & Methods: This study intended toinvestigatethe effect of stress management educational
program based on Basnef model to improve behavior in MS patients. This was a quasi-experimental
study that was performed on 100 MS patients between the ages of 15-50 years from Sina and Shariati
hospitals, Tehran. Participants in the study randomly divided into two groups: experimental and
control groups.The instruments for data collecting were a questionnaire which was developed by the
researcher and established based on the Basnef model. The both groupscompleted the questionnaires
before and one month after intervention, while only the patients in the experimental group participated
in 3 educational intervention sessions. Eventually, the data were analyzed by using independent-t, chisquare and mann-whitney statistical tests.
Result: Our findings indicated that both groups didn’t have any significant difference based on Basnef
model variables (attitudes, subjective norm, enabling factors, and intention) before intervention. But
the mean scores of Basnef model variables were significantly increased in the experimental group
compared to the controls after intervention. Also behavioral methods of stress managementimproved
significantly among the experimental group, compared to control group.
Conclusion: Since stress management is highly recommended for MS patients, applying the Basnef
model is very effective for developing an educational program for MS patients in order to control their
stress