The Effects of a Tripod Approach for Cancer Patients on Illness Stress, Health-Promoting Lifestyle, Hope, and Resilience

Abstract

Background Health-related exercise and education program for cancer patients are necessary to provide physical and emotional support to enable efficient and appropriate self-management at home. Objective This study aimed to investigate the effects of a tripod approach including physical exercise, education, and emotional support program on illness stress, health promotion lifestyle, hope, and resilience in cancer patients. Interventions/Methods This was a quasi-experimental repeated-measures study using a pre-post design with a nonhomogeneous control group. A total of 72 cancer patients (experimental group = 37, control group = 35) who were currently receiving treatment and staying at home were enrolled. Results The experimental group showed significantly lower illness stress scores (F = 17.35, P < .001) and increase in health promotion lifestyle scores (F = 4.05, P = .048) compared with the control group, especially social relationships (t = 1.85, P = .073) and stress management (t = 2.30, P = .027). However, there were no effects on hope and resilience. Also, illness stress showed significant changes after 6 weeks (t = −3.35, P = .001) and after 10 weeks (t = −5.04, P < .001). Overall health promotion lifestyle showed changes after 10 weeks (t = 2.25, P = .030), with meaning of life (t = 2.57, P = .014), stress management (t = 2.30, P = .027), and medical behaviors (t = 2.46, P = .019) especially showing significant changes. Conclusions The results showed that the tripod approach had positive effects on illness stress and health promotion lifestyle of cancer patients staying at home. Further study to improve positive emotions such as hope and resilience is needed. Implications for Practice Based on our findings, combining nursing intervention with physical exercise, education, and emotional support could be incorporated into cancer patients in community and early survivorship care plans in clinical practice.

The Effect of Nursing Approach on the Self-Management and Adjustment to the Illness among Newly Diagnosed Diabetic Patients According to Meleis’s Transition Theory

“…When the studies conducted by adopting Meleis’s transition theory in patients in a variety of groups was examined in the literature, it was found that the patients received favorable related outcomes (Lai et al, 2019; Sung et al, 2021). In their study, Sung and colleagues (2021) adopted a tripod approach to cancer patients, including physical exercise, training, and moral support, and determined that patients had decreased disease stress and that the intervention had positive effects on health-promoting lifestyle (stress management, medical attitudes, and meaning of life). Although the study groups differ, the effective use of intervention methods as a consequence of the theoretical frameworks built according to Meleis’s theory may be interpreted as the common aspect of these studies.…”

Latent classes of health‐promoting lifestyle in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in China: A cross‐sectional survey

“…The statistical methods used in studies on health‐promoting lifestyle in existing literature are often variable‐centred approaches (Nelson et al., 2023 ; Tabrizi, 2015 ). It is common practice to evaluate one's level of health‐promoting lifestyle based on the average scores of health‐promoting lifestyle measures with the assumption that study samples come from a homogeneous population (Sung, Yu, et al., 2021 ). On the other hand, the health‐promoting lifestyle is a multidimensional variable with dimensions such as spiritual growth, physical activity, health management, nutrition, and health responsibility, each of which is measured using multiple items (Teng et al., 2010 ).…”

The effect of spirituality-based education on the meaning of life in cancer patients: a quasi-experimental study

“…A study in Turkey showed that cancer patients with a greater belief in the meaning of life have higher levels of psychological resilience and experience less suffering in life [12]. Another study in Korea suggested that people with cancer seek positive meaning in life by promoting positive emotions and improving their lifestyles, and this gives them hope [13]. The results of a study showed that the meaning of life for cancer patients in Iran induces their personal growth [14].…”