Effectiveness study of psychological intervention in patients with localized breast cancer

Abstract

Objective: analysing the effectiveness of individual psychological intervention focusing on coping skills, anxiety and depression in 3 groups: Group 1 (G1) which used Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT); Group 2 (G2) based in counselling and psychoeducation therapy; and the Control Group (CG) without psychological intervention. Method: quasi-experimental longitudinal study with a sample of 180 patients with a mean of 51,9 years of age. The instruments used were the MINI-MAC and the HADS; they were administered to G1 (n= 50) and G2 (n=98) after surgery; and at the end of chemotherapy to G1, G2 and CG (n=32). Results: after 7 months of intervention psychological, the levels of anxiety, depression, anxious preoccupation and hopelessness reduced in G1. The levels of depression and anxiety dropped in G2 as they maintained the fighting spirit. GC showed higher levels of depression, anxiety, anxious preoccupations than G1 and G2. Conclusions: psychological intervention (regardless the type of therapy) leads to reduce depressive and anxious symptomatology and increased more effective coping strategies. CBT is the most effective therapy for reducing clinical depression and symptoms of anxiety. Counselling and psychoeducational therapy lead to improvement and ensure the levels of anxiety and depression remain within manageable parameters, promoting the same fighting spirit by women without clinical depressive or anxious symptoms.