Comparison of the Effectiveness of Spiritual Therapy and Positive Psychology on Optimism in Patients with Leukemia

Leukemia is one of the most common types of cancer, which is a set of diseases in which disobedient cells are part of the human body’s circulatory system. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of spiritual therapy and positive psychology training on optimism in patients with leukemia.

The present study was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest, posttest, and follow-up design, and a control group. The statistical population of the study included all patients with leukemia who were referred to Valiasr Hospital in Khorramshahr, Iran, in 1398, of whom 45 patients (three groups of 15) were selected by purposive sampling. Scheier and Carver's optimism questionnaire (1993) was used for data collection. The experimental groups underwent individual spiritual therapy (12 sessions 90 minutes) and positive psychology training (14 sessions 90 minutes); however, the control group received no training. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA statistical method.

The results showed that both spiritual therapy and positive psychology training were effective to increase optimism in patients with leukemia (P<0.001). Moreover, the results revealed that there was a significant difference between the effectiveness of spiritual therapy and positive psychology training on the increase of optimism in patients with leukemia in favor of spiritual therapy (P<0.001) and this result was consistent in the follow-up period as well.

Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that spiritual therapy and positive psychology can be used to increase optimism in patients with leukemia.