The Effectiveness of Writing Therapy on Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Leukemia

Abstract

Background: The diagnosis of cancer, followed by lengthy treatment, poses a significant threat to patients' mental health. The current study aimed to examine the effectiveness of writing therapy on depression and anxiety of patients with leukemia. Methods: This study involved two groups in a randomized clinical trial. The statistical population of the current study comprised 384 patients of Baghdad Medical City, Iraq, who met the inclusion criteria, in 2019. A simple random sampling method was used to select a statistical sample of 110 individuals, who were then divided into experimental and control groups (55 members in each group). Data collection tools included Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used in SPSS software for data analysis. Results: The writing therapy intervention approach reduced the anxiety (F = 67.864, P < 0.001) and depression (F = 54.218, P < 0.001) of patients with leukemia. In addition, none of the demographic variables of the study's participants had a significant relationship with the findings. Conclusion: Implementing the writing therapy intervention can improve the psychological symptoms of patients with leukemia.