Intrapsychic and Interpersonal Realms in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Their Comparison with Normal Individuals: A Look at Object Relations and Anger Management

Fatemeh Shahamat Dehsorkh; Fataneh Ghadirian; Yeganeh Yekta; Reihaneh Yekta; Mohsen Foroughipour; Fatemeh  Ghazizadeh Hashemi; Mehrdad Esmaeili; Mehdi Khabazkhoob

doi:10.18502/ijps.v18i1.11409

Fatemeh Shahamat Dehsorkh Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Khayyam University, Mashhad, Iran
Fataneh Ghadirian Department of Psychiatric Nursing and Management, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Yeganeh Yekta Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Khayyam University, Mashhad, Iran
Reihaneh Yekta Refractive Errors Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Mohsen Foroughipour Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Fatemeh Ghazizadeh Hashemi Psychiatry and Psychology Research Center, Roozbeh Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mehrdad Esmaeili Department of Management, School of Medical Education and Management, Shahid Beheshti Medical University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mehdi Khabazkhoob Department of Basic Sciences, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijps.v18i1.11409

Keywords: Anger; Case-Control Study; Iran; Multiple Sclerosis; Object Relations

Abstract

Objective: This study was designed to compare object relations and anger control between MS patients and normal individuals.

Method: The present study was a cross-sectional case-control study with two groups: the case group (patients with MS) and the control group (normal controls without MS). 80 patients and 80 healthy individuals were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria using a simple random sampling method. The research’s data collection tool was a threepart questionnaire consisting of demographic information, the Bell Object Relations and the Reality Testing Inventory (BORRTI) and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory 2 (STAXI-2). The data were analyzed by the SPSS software version 26 using descriptive and analytical statistics (stepwise regression).

Results: The results showed that in terms of object relations, there was no significant difference between the two groups except in alienation of relations (P = 0.035). The results also showed that in general, there was no statistically significant difference between the anger index of the group of MS patients and the normal controls. However, 12.8% of MS patients were significantly different in state of anger, trait anger and anger control compared to normal individuals. This difference was especially higher in angry temperament (P = 0.025) and the anger expression-in (P = 0.04).

Conclusion: Although patients with MS were not significantly different from healthy individuals in terms of intrapsychic and interpersonal functions in the context of object relations and anger management, it seems that more complex and multifaceted explanations lie in the results that need further research.