The Effect of Dignity Therapy on Hope in Patients with Major Depression Disorder

INTRODUCTION: Despite the importance of the hope level increment in the patients with major depression disorder, fewer interventions have been applied to improve the hope level in the psychiatric patients, especially the depressed individuals.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the dignity therapy effect on the hope level in the patients with major depression disorder.

METHOD: In this random controlled clinical trial, 58 patients with major depression disorder, who were hospitalized in Ibn-e-Sina psychiatric hospital of Mashhad, were separated into two intervention (28 individuals) and control (30 individuals) groups. The intervention group has taken the dignity therapy (based on the standard protocol in three 30-45 minutes sessions) and the control group have been undertaken the normal caregiving without intervention. The research tool was the Herth hope index, which was filled exactly before and after intervention. The data analysis has been done by SPSS 11.5 and exact Fischer tests, Chi square, independent t-test and paired t-test.

RESULTS: 65.5 percent of the patients were female and 34.5 percent were male. Before the intervention, there was no significant statistical difference between the dignity therapy group (19.9±2.8) and the control group (20.5±1.6) in the average total hope score (p=0.39). However, the variations of the average total hope score before and after intervention between the dignity therapy group (4.7±2.9) and the control group (0.1±1.9) was significant (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS: According to the dignity therapy effect on the hope level increment in patients with major depression disorder, this unique and short clinical trial can be employed to increase the hope level in the patients with depression disorder.