Short-Term Stress Management Protocol Improves Objective and Self-Reported Measures of Stress and Mood in Patients with MS According to New Research

Research presented at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) suggests that participating in a program providing short-term psychotherapy in stress management techniques improves mood and biofeedback measures of stress in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The study examined changes in self-reported assessments of stress, anxiety, and depression as well as objective measurements of pulse, breathing, and saturated oxygen levels after participants engaged in a 4-session stress management protocol (SMP). Most measures of stress improved throughout the SMP. Details about elements included in the SMP were not provided in the abstract.

The study recruited 195 patients from the Mellen Center Behavioral Medicine Database who were 90.5% female, 68.5% White, and were on average aged 44.4 y with a disease duration of 12.1 y. Before and after each session, subjective measures of stress were collected for participants’ self-reported anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 [GAD7]) and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ9]) scores. Objective biofeedback measures of stress also were collected for pulse, breath rate, and oxygen saturation (SpO₂). Researchers applied linear mixed-effects modeling and pairwise comparisons to evaluate differences in outcomes between sessions. Overall improvement was assessed by linear regression modeling with and without adjustments for participant demographics and disease characteristics. Participants were encouraged to voluntarily discontinue the SMP when they felt confident in stress-mitigation strategies.

Analysis of the results demonstrated that participants improved in all outcomes except pulse. All measures varied significantly between sessions. The adjusted model demonstrated significant improvements in PHQ-9 at session 3 and SpO₂ at session 4, while the unadjusted model showed improvements in PHQ-9 at sessions 2-4, SpO₂ at sessions 3-4, GAD7 at sessions 2 and 4, and breath rate at session 3. The results suggest that short-term stress management instruction may help improve physiological and emotional stress in those with MS.

The study authors from the Cleveland Clinic note that their research was limited due to participant voluntary discontinuation and the tendency for MS symptoms to fluctuate day-to-day.