Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills Training and Group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Hashimoto's Disease: Data on Quality of Life, Stress and Related Variables From a Randomised Controlled Trial

Abstract

Objective: Recent research suggests that there are aspects of Hashimoto's disease (HD) for which medical treatment may be limited. Medical treatment of HD involves returning thyroid hormone levels to the normal reference range, a condition called euthyroidism. Poor quality of life (QOL), low psychological well-being, depression, anxiety, and stress are among the factors associated with symptoms that persist despite being euthyroid. Method: Considering these findings, the present study investigated the effects of dialectical behaviour therapy skills training (DBT-ST), group cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and a waitlist group on QOL, stress, and related variables in euthyroid HD women (N = 62). Data was collected pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at two-month follow-up. Results: Results demonstrated that the DBT-ST intervention provided statistically significant benefits, while no significant changes occurred in the group CBT and waitlist group. Among the outcome variables, DBT-ST was found to significantly increase the general health domain of QOL, the environmental mastery subscale of psychological well-being, the persistence subscale of emotional reactivity, and the tolerance subscale of distress tolerance, and significantly decrease levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and difficulties in emotion regulation. Economic status was identified as a covariate for anxiety and stress, and body mass index for general health. Considering the effects of covariates, DBT-ST explained the decrease in stress by 10.1%, an additional 2.7% compared to economic status, which explained 7.4% (p < 0.05). Discussion: Future research in line with the recommendations of this study may further contribute to the development of HD treatment guidelines.