Effectiveness of Group Compassion-Focused Therapy on Depression and Quality of life in Women with Breast Cancer
Effectiveness of Group Compassion-Focused Therapy on Depression and Quality of life in Women with Breast Cancer
Breast cancer represents a major health problem among women worldwide. A third of these patients suffer from significant clinical distress. A comprehensive review of the literature between 1974 and 2010 concluded that depression is the most common psychiatric disorder, ranging from 13% to 50% among breast cancer patients; moreover, mastectomy and lumpectomy have been shown to be associated with high levels of depression with up to a quarter of women remaining depressed one year after the operation. Finally, psychological factors were found to predict subsequent quality of life and even overall survival in breast cancer patients
One of the most robust findings in the research literature is that greater self-compassion is linked to less depression and is likely to have important applications in clinical settings. As the purpose of present study, compassion-focused therapy (CFT) developed by Paul Gilbert has been applied to determine its effectiveness on depression and quality of life in women with breast cancer. Given the voluntary participation and random assignment, the research design is quasi-experimental
. BDI-II and Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 were used as pretest and also will be used after therapy completion as post-test. In cancer institute of Tehran, according to research criteria, 30 patients were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, each consisting of 15 patients; those in experimental group receive 10 ninety-minute sessions of group CFT. Finally the results of the two groups will be analyzed by independent t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and SPPS. The study is not yet completed; Considering the deadline for abstract submission, the topic of present study as one of the main subjects of 42nd congress, and researcher’s enthusiasm, they decided to submit what has been done till now, hopeful to be accepted. Certainly it will be finished until May and ready to present in EABCT congress.
