Effect of Exposure Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia on Psychological Distress in Women with Fibromyalgia

Abstract

Background and Objective: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic condition with widespread musculoskeletal pain that is more common in women than men. The present study aimed to compare the effect of exposure therapy (EXP) and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) on psychological distress in women with FM. Materials and Methods: This study was a single-blind, randomized controlled trial that employed a pretest-posttest design with a two-month follow-up conducted online between February and September 2024. The statistical population included Iranian women with FM who were members of Iranian FM virtual groups. The sample included 60 women with FM who were selected via convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (20 patients in each group). The experimental groups received EXP and CBTI interventions online. Depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21) was used to measure the dependent variable. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 24). Results: The three groups were matched in terms of age, marital status, education, socioeconomic status, and duration of illness (P>0.05). The results of repeated measures ANOVA demonstrated that both EXP and CBTI were significantly effective in the mitigation of psychological distress in women with fibromyalgia (P<0.01). There was no significant difference between the effectiveness of the two treatments (P=0.946). Conclusion: As evidenced by the obtained results, EXP and CBTI are effective in the reduction of psychological distress in women with fibromyalgia, and the online treatment format might be of high clinical utility for these patients

Keywords

• cognitive behavioral therapy
• exposure therapy
• fibromyalgia
• psychological distress