Effect of Hope Therapy-based Education on the Rumination of Women With Breast Cancer

Background & Aims:

 Breast cancer is one of the common diseases in women that endangers their physical and mental health. Rumination is one of the psychological problems in these women. The present study aims to determine the effect of an educational program based on hope therapy on the rumination of women with breast cancer.

This is a quasi-experimental study. The study population consist of all women with breast cancer referred to the chemotherapy departments of hospitals affiliated to Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. The sampling was done using a continuous method. Then, the samples were divided into intervention (n=50) and control (n=50) groups randomly by lottery method. The intervention was conducted at eight group sessions, twice a week. The data collection tools were a demographic form and the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS). The data were analyzed in SPSS software, verion 16.

The mean score of rumination before the intervention was not significantly different between the two groups (P=0.29). After the intervention, the difference between the two groups was significant (P=0.0001). The paired t-test results showed a significant difference in the mean score of rumination before and after the intervention in the intervention group (P=0.003), but there was no significant difference in the control group (P=0.89).

 Education based on hope therapy can positively affect the rumination of women with breast cancer. By an hope therapy-based intervention, the disturbing thoughts, which are mostly related to disease and despair, can be reduced in women with breast cancer experiencing rumination.