The effectiveness of cognitive behavioral group therapy on decreasing depression, anxiety and stress in breast cancer women admitted to Ahwaz Medical Sciences Hospitals

Diagnosis, treatment, consequences, treatment side effects and recurrence of breast cancer can lead to depression, anxiety and stress. Cognitive behavioral group therapy is one of the most effective interventions in the women with breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cognitive behavioral group therapy on depression, anxiety and stress in the women with breast cancer. This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest/posttest and control group. We used purposive sampling and selected 24 women with breast cancer who had been admitted to Ahwaz Medical Sciences Hospitals. The patients were assigned to control and experiment groups (12 patients in each group). Measurement tools included Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-short Form (DASS-21) and intervention method was cognitive behavioral group therapy which consisted of 10 weekly 90-minute sessions. Data analysis was performed by means of descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (one-way analysis of covariance). The results revealed that cognitive behavioral group therapy had significant effects on decreasing depression, anxiety, and stress in the experimental group compared to the control group (p< 0/001). Cognitive behavioral therapy in oncology centers can be considered as a complementary therapy along with medical therapies and can have an essential role in the improvement of the relationship between doctor and patient.