The Effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy in Self-Esteem, Shyness, Comparative Self-Criticism, and Social Relationships in Vitiligo

Vitiligo is an important skin and autoimmune disease having the main impact on different parts of the life of patients. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy in Self-Esteem, Shyness, Comparative Self-Criticism, and Social Relationships. The present study was a pre-test-post-test experimental study with a control group and a one-month follow-up. The statistical population included all patients with vitiligo skin disease referred to Razi Dermatology Hospital in 2019, from which 40 participants were selected using the convenience sampling method. The participants were randomly divided into two groups and responded to WHOQOL, LOCS, and ISS in three phases namely pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phase. The experimental group participated in 8 two-hour group sessions focused on compassion therapy based on the Gilbert therapy package, but the control group did not receive any intervention until the end of the follow-up phase. The results of the analysis of covariance indicated that compassion-focused therapy can increase Self-Esteem, Shyness, Comparative Self-Criticism, and Social Relationships in patients with vitiligo as a treatment. Compassion-focused therapy can be used to increase the Self-Esteem, Shyness, Comparative Self-Criticism, and Social Relationships of patients with vitiligo.