Effect of group problem-solving skills training on the severity of aggression in patients with bipolar I disorder

Abstract

Introduction: Psychological interventions can help prevent patients’ problems by increasing insight. Aim: This study was aimed to determine the effect of problem-solving skills training on the severity of aggression in patients with bipolar I disorder. Material and methods: In this randomized controlled trial, we enrolled 60 patients with bipolar I disorder admitted to Ibn Sina Psychiatric Hospital in Mashhad during 2018. The patients were assigned to the two groups of intervention (n = 30) and control (n = 30). In addition to pharmacological therapy, the intervention group attended six 45-minute problem-solving group training sessions, while the control group received medication alone. The data collection instrument was the Buss and Perry aggression questionnaire (BPAQ), which was filled out before and a month after the intervention. Results and discussion: In the pre-intervention phase, there was no significant difference in the mean score of aggression between the problem-solving skills training and control groups (119 ± 5.6 vs. 120.5 ± 8.5; P = 0.222); while, the total score of aggression after the intervention was significantly different between two groups (86.9 ± 5.5 vs. 120.2 ± 5.8; P <0.001). Conclusions: Problem-solving skills training can reduce the severity of aggression in patients with bipolar disorder. It is recommended that these skills used in individual and family care for patients with bipolar I disorder.