title: The effect of group psycho-education program on the burden of family caregivers with multiple sclerosis patients in Isfahan in 2013-2014.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lack of adequate training and support of primary caregivers of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is the major factor in causing stress, anxiety, and increase of burden. Therefore, the treatment team members such as psychiatric nurses can help these vulnerable people overcome psychiatric pressures effectively not only through their care and referral role but also through their supportive characteristic, which helps the patients improve their clinical status, together with their social, familial, and work adaptation. Therefore, the researcher tried to identify the effect of a group psycho-education program on the burden family caregivers with MS patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a two-group three-stage clinical trial. The researcher referred to the heads of neurology clinics to present the purpose of the study and to start the sampling. The neurology clinics of AL Zahra University Hospital, and also a Private Neurology Clinic were selected to collect the data of the study. The subjects were randomly selected, and then, assigned to two groups of study and control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Independent t-test showed a significant reduction in family caregivers' burden immediately after and 1-month after intervention in the study group, compared to control. Repeated measure ANOVA showed a significant reduction in caregivers' burden mean score in the study group (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As group psycho-education reduced family caregivers' burden, it is recommended to develop and design other programs for the family caregivers of the patients with MS.
authors.affiliation: Nursing and midwifery care research center, Faculty of nursing and midwifery, Isfahan University of medical sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Saeid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pahlavanzadeh
authors.affiliation: Student Research Center, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Fariba
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dalvi-Isfahani
authors.affiliation: Department of adult Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Nasrollah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Alimohammadi
authors.affiliation: Department of medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chitsaz
keywords: Burden; Iran; caregiver; family; group; multiple sclerosis; psycho-education