The Effectiveness Of Behavioral Cognitive Stress Management Group Therapy on Anxiety, Intrusion Thoughts, Avoidance, Hyper-Arousal inWomen With Breast Cancer at Early Stage

Aim and The breast cancer is the most significant worrisome factor in the women's health, since it is the most prevalent cancer among women and the second cause of death from the cancer after lung cancer. The present study was conducted in order to investigate the effectiveness of stress management therapy through cognitive-behavioral method in women suffering from breast cancer.Methods and Materials: This study was administered in the form of a group therapy design. It was a semi-experimental research. The statistical population was all the women with breast cancer referring to Saiedo-Shohada hospital in Isfahan among whom 20 women with breast cancer having entrance criteria were put randomly into experimental group and waiting list (control group). The experimental group received therapeutic interventions during 10 sessions while the control group received no intervention. In order to collect data the questionnaires of revised injuries effect scale (IES-R), Beck anxiety, and a month follow up were applied. All participants in the pretest, posttest and follow up filled up the questionnaires. The data were analyzed through repeated measure. the amount of effect coefficient showed a significant decrease in the scores of anxiety, intrusive thoughts, avoidance, hyper-arousal, in the participants. These primary findings from the role of cognitive-behavioral stress management therapy supports the decease of the signs of anxiety, intrusive thoughts, avoidance, hyper-arousal, of the patients suffering from breast cancer in the beginning stages.