The effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) intervention on reducing anxiety, stress, and depression in couples with children with cancer
International Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences,
Vol. 11 No. 3 (2024),
19 Shahrivar 2024
,
Page 1-9
https://doi.org/10.22037/ijabs.v11i3.44658
Abstract
Background and Aim:Diagnosing children's cancer can cause significant disruptions in the child and family life, putting parents and children at risk for psychosocial problems, including reduced quality of life through increased anxiety, stress, and depression, which necessitates solutions like emotion-focused therapy (EFT) to reduce complications. This research investigated the effectiveness of EFT in reducing anxiety, stress, and depression in couples with children with cancer.
Materials and Methods:The research used a semi-experimental method with a pretest-posttest design, control and experimental groups, and a three-month follow-up. The statistical population of the study included 40 couples with a child with cancer in Ferdous City. The collected data were analyzed utilizing inferential statistics and a step-by-step regression analysis under the normality assumption. Data were analyzed using statistical techniques (descriptive, inferential) and SPSS22. The research hypotheses were investigated utilizing ANCOVA and MANCOVA.
Results:With the pretest control of the test significance levels, there was a significant difference between the couples with a child with cancer in the experimental and control groups concerning anxiety, stress, and depression reduction (P<0.001, F-5.299). The respective differences of 19.78, 20.50, and 44.67 for anxiety, stress, and 44.67 for depression highlight the significant effect of EFT on anxiety, stress, and depression of the experimental group at a 95% confidence level and p<0.05.
Conclusion:EFT affects and reduces the anxiety, stress, and depression of couples with children with cancer. The emotion-based developed package created a safe space to resolve past wounds and increase awareness, expression, and acceptance of repressed emotions, leading to a new meaning for life and adjusting the disease through a different perspective toward emotions caused by mental turmoil and anxiety.
- Anxiety, Depression, Emotion-Focused Therapy, Pediatric Cancer, Stress.
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