The effect of dignity therapy on anxiety and depression in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A randomized clinical trial

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and depression can prolong the treatment process and impose financial burdens on the health system in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Dignity therapy is one of the methods of eliminating these symptoms. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of dignity therapy on the severity of anxiety and depression in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This clinical trial was conducted on 62 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, referring to the comprehensive respiratory clinic of Khorshid Hospital (Isfahan, Iran) in 2021. The patients were randomly allocated to intervention and control groups. Each patient of the intervention group underwent dignity therapy for four 45-60-min sessions, whereas no intervention was performed in the control group. Data were collected using demographic information questionnaire and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), before the intervention and one month after the completion of the intervention in two groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 18 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) as well as descriptive (mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage) and inferential (Chi-square, independent t-test, and paired t-test) statistics. RESULTS: The mean score of anxiety of the patients before the intervention was not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.18); but one month after the intervention, it was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (P = 0.05). Also, the score of depression was not significantly different between the two groups before (P = 0.68) and one month after the intervention (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Dignity therapy could reduce anxiety in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; thus, it could be used as a nonpharmacological, cost-effective and probably without side effects method.