Effect of Group Therapy on Psychological Symptoms and Quality of Life in Turkish Patients with Breast Cancer

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the group therapy on psychological symptoms and quality of life of patients with early stage breast cancer. Methods: This study was performed on 16 breast cancer patients who completed treatments. The total group therapy program involved a weekly session of 2-3 hours, for 16 weeks. The group therapy sessions were given to women in the oncology department by a clinical psychologist and also given training sections by the different professional teams. All the required assessments for the study were performed after and before 16 week group therapy intervention. Results: Initially we had taken 21 women but 16 participated in all therapy programs and submitted questionnaires. The mean age was 47.8 years. There were significant differences between before and after group therapy program. Anxiety, depression, and distress showed significant improvements. Hopelessness scale was detected at the border of significance. There was no change in sleep problems and quality of life. According to the analysis of correlation, considering the age factor and year of diagnosis, there was found no statistically significant relationship between anxiety, distress, depression, hopelessness, sleeplessness, and quality of life. Conclusions: This pilot study demonstrated that brief, predominantly group therapy is feasible for patients with breast cancer and, also it may be helpful to cope with emotional and physical distress.

Quality of Life and Psychological Well-Being of Breast Cancer Survivors in Jordan

“…A pilot study from the same country showed that group therapy leads to significant reduction in depression, anxiety and distress for patients with breast cancer (Yavuzsen et al, 2012). In contrast, only 8.8% of study participants received psychological counseling after diagnosis and only 2.7% participants in psychosocial support program.…”

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Post-traumatic Growth in Breast Cancer Patients - a Systematic Review

“…DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7314/APJCP.2015.16.2.641 Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Post-traumatic Growth in Breast Cancer Patients -a Systematic Review iii) Both PTSD and PTG in BC survivors (Tjemsland et al, 1998;Cordova et al, 2001;Jones, 2001;Sumalla et al, 2009;Ho et al, 2011;Chan et al, 2011;Koutrouli et al, 2012;Liu et al, 2014). iv) PTSD and psychological distress and diagnostic challenges in the same patient population (Gurevich et al, 2002;Tedeschi and Calhoun, 2004;Bellizzi et al, 2010;Rustad et al, 2012;Yavuzsen et al, 2012;Abu-Helalah et al, 2014;Chang et al, 2014;Rizalar et al, 2014) and v) Treatment approaches (Andrykowski et al, 2000;Levine et al, 2005;Knobf, 2007;Bellizzi et al, 2010;Assi et al, 2013;Liu et al, 2014) Discussion PTSD is a psychiatric condition that occurs as a result of exposure to a traumatic event, defined as a threat of death or serious injury (Kangas et al, 2002). This in turn evokes intense fear, helplessness, or horror (DSM-IV, 2000).…”

Depression, Anxiety and Sexual Satisfaction in Breast Cancer Patients and their Partners-Izmir Oncology Group Study

“…from the psychological point of view (Anderson and Johnson, 1994;Stanton and Reed, 2003;Yavuzsen et al, 2012]. Due to the significance of the breast for women, anxiety concerns about the possible loss, as well as the actual loss of the breast, can damage feelings of sexuality, motherhood, body image and attractiveness.…”