Development, implementation and evaluation of a group counseling program and its influence upon anxiety levels in newly diagnosed cancer patients

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate a group counseling program and its influence on anxiety levels in newly diagnosed cancer patients. A total of twenty-four subjects being treated for cancer were used in the study. They were assigned to either Group I (group counseling program) or to Group II (control). The subjects in both groups completed the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Group I participated in a series of three highly structured group counseling sessions. The content of the sessions was designed to deal with problems that tend to produce or intensify anxiety in cancer patients. The three specific topics discussed were: relaxation techniques, nutrition, and assertiveness training. After completion of the group counseling program both groups were re-tested with the State Trait Anxiety Inventory. The Mann Whitney U-test was used to compare differences on state and trait anxiety levels between Group I and Group II. No significant differences on either state or trait anxiety were found between the two groups. Therefore, the null hypothesis could not be rejected. However, the data did suggest that a counseling program may have some positive effect on anxiety reduction in cancer patients.