Living with Vitiligo: A Controlled Investigation into the Effects of Group Cognitive-Behavioural and Person-Centred Therapies

Abstract

Background: Vitiligo is a progressive condition involving a loss of pigmentation in the skin. It can be disfiguring and no fully effective treatment or cure exists. Although medical effects of vitiligo have been studied extensively, less attention has been paid to its psychological impact. Methods: This research compared the efficacy of group cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and group personcentred therapy with respect to ameliorating the disabling effects of the condition. Participants were randomly allocated to either the control group, the CBT treatment group or the person-centred treatment group. Participants underwent 8 consecutive weeks of therapy and psychological and physiological gains were recorded before therapy, after therapy and at 6 and 12-month follow-up. The study used a mixed factorial design for the questionnaire analysis. The independent factor was the three different experimental conditions; control, CBT and person-centred therapy and the repeated measures factor was assessment point; pre-treatment, post-treatment, 6-month follow-up and 12-month follow-up. Results: Unlike previous work with different psychotherapy formats, little psychosocial or physiological benefits were gained as a result of the two group therapy programmes. Conclusion: This research helps us to understand more fully the efficacy of psychological therapy with a vitiligo population and will help direct health professionals to the most appropriate format for future use.