Pourfereydoun M, DashtBozorgi Z. Effectiveness of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy for Anxiety and Alexithymia in Patients with Psychosomatic Migraine. IJRN 2026; 12 (4) : 7
URL:
http://ijrn.ir/article-1-1000-en.html
Department of Psychology, Ahv.C., Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran dashtbozorgi.z@iau.ac.ir
Abstract: (26 Views)
Introduction: Patients with psychosomatic migraine often experience elevated levels of anxiety and alexithymia. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP) in reducing anxiety and alexithymia in patients with psychosomatic migraine.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The study population consisted of patients with psychosomatic migraine referred to psychiatric clinics in Ahvaz during the autumn of 2025. Purposive sampling and simple lottery-based allocation selected 40 participants (20 per group) and randomly assigned them to two equal groups. The experimental group received eight individual 50-minute sessions of intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy, while the control group remained on a waiting list. Data were collected using a demographic information form, an anxiety inventory, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. They were analyzed using the chi-square test and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS version 25.
Results: No statistically significant differences were observed between the experimental and control groups in terms of gender distribution, age range, or educational level (P > 0.05). Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy significantly reduced anxiety and alexithymia among patients with psychosomatic migraine (P < 0.001).
Conclusions: Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy may be used alongside other therapeutic approaches to reduce anxiety and alexithymia in patients with psychosomatic migraine.
Article number: 7
Type of Study:
Research |
Subject:
Psychology in Rehabilitation Nursing Received: 2026/05/12 | Accepted: 2026/07/25 | Published: 2026/09/17