Effectiveness of an Educational Package based on the Psychological Injuries Pattern in MS Patients: A Mixed Research

Abstract

Introduction and Aim: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) face many psychological problems and injuries in their lives. Therefore, the aim of this research was to design an educational package based on the psychological injuries paattern in MS patients and determine its effectiveness on psychological injuries in them.

Methodology: This research was a mixed-method (qualitative and quantitative from type of pre-test and post-test with a control group). The research population in the qualitative section was experts familiar with the research field, which 11 people of them were selected using purposive sampling method and according to the principle of theoretical saturation. The research population in the quantitative section was MS patients with a file in the MS Association of Ardabil city in 2025 year, which 30 people of them were selected using purposive sampling and randomly assigned into two equal groups; so that the experimental group underwent 8 weeks and four sessions per week of training based on the psychological injuries paattern in MS patients, and the control group remained on the waiting list for training. The data of qualitative section were collected using a Semi-Structured Interview method, and the data of quantitative section were collected using a Researcher-Made Questionnaire of Psychological Injuries of MS Patients, and analyzed using the coding method in MAXQDA-24 software and the exploratory factor analysis and multivariate analysis of covariance methods in SPSS-27 software, respectively.

Findings: The results of the present study indicated that the educational package based on the psychological injuries paattern in MS patients was designed for eight weeks and its content validity ratio and content validity index were higher than 0.80. Also, the educational package based on the psychological injuries paattern in MS patients reduced the lack of psychological self-care skills and structured training, and psychological stress and caregiving burden on the families and caregivers, and increased the level of psychological, emotional, and educational support of patients and families (P<0.001).

Conclusion: According to the above results, counselors and psychologists can use the educational package based on the psychological injuries paattern in MS patients along with other effective educational methods for their psychological interventions in different groups.