Effectiveness of Cognitive Therapy Targeting Dieting Traps in Reducing Health Anxiety and Enhancing Medication Adherence among Overweight Women with Hypothyroidism

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive therapy focusing on dieting traps in reducing health anxiety and improving medication adherence among overweight women diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Methods and Materials: A quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phases was used. Thirty married women aged 30–50 years with confirmed hypothyroidism and overweight were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=15), receiving 12 weekly sessions of cognitive therapy, or a control group (n=15) with no intervention. Standardized tools included the Health Anxiety Inventory (Salkovskis & Warwick, 2002), Medication Adherence Questionnaire (Morisky, 1986), and Social Health Questionnaire (Keyes, 1998). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) via SPSS v24. Findings: Participants in the experimental group showed a significant reduction in health anxiety scores from pre-test to post-test and follow-up (F=22.337, p=0.001), alongside a notable improvement in medication adherence (F=7.350, p=0.003). These effects were stable over time, with no significant differences between post-test and follow-up scores. The control group did not demonstrate significant changes. Conclusion: Cognitive therapy focusing on dieting traps is an effective intervention for addressing psychological and behavioral challenges among overweight women with hypothyroidism. This structured approach improves health-related anxiety and enhances adherence to medical treatment, suggesting its utility in integrated healthcare settings.