Determining the Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Training on the Rate of C-Reactive Protein and Depression in Patients Afflicted With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive autoimmune disease with variable clinical symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral training on C-reactive protein (CRP) and depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: This research was a semi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The statistical population of this study involved all women suffering from rheumatoid arthritis who went to Iran Rheumatology Center. From among them, 60 individuals were randomly selected and consigned to the control and experimental groups. The control group received only medication, and an educational package about rheumatoid arthritis provided for them. Beck’s depression and biochemical evaluations questionnaires were used to measure dependent variables. To analyze the data, multivariate analysis of covariance and SPSS. 22 software were used. Results: The mean (SD) of depression in the experimental group in the pretest was 25.5 (3.8), which decreased to 18.9 (4.2) in the post-test (P < 0.01), but the mean (SD) of the control group was not statistically significant. Also, the mean (SD) of the CRP in the experimental group was 27.3 (6.9) in the pretest, which increased to 22.8 (4.6) in the post-test (P < 0.01), but the mean (SD) of the control group was not statistically significant. Conclusion: This research revealed that cognitive behavioral training led to a reduction of CRP and depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.