Comparing the Effectiveness of Positive Psychology and Gestalt Therapy on Psychological Well-Being of Patients with Lung Cancer

Abstract

Background: Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death and is associated with a decline in social performance. The current study aimed to examine the impact of positive psychology and Gestalt methods on the psychological well-being of patients with lung cancer. Methods: The current study was performed by quasi-experimental method with pre-test and post-test design. The statistical population included 187 patients with lung cancer referred to the oncology department of Al-Sadr Educational Hospital in Najaf, Iraq, in 2021 who were considered for this purpose. Simple random sampling was used to select 75 patients, divided into three groups: positive psychology, Gestalt, and control (each group included 25 patients). Positive psychology protocols and Gestalt therapy were implemented following psychotherapeutic principles, and their efficacy was assessed using the Ryff Psychological Well-being Scale. The data were analyzed using a multivariate covariance test via SPSS software. Results: After controlling for the effect of the pre-test with the Wilks’ Lambda index, there was a significant difference in psychological well-being between the groups (P < 0.01). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) test showed that the intervention improved all aspects of psychological well-being (P < 0.01). Finally, the Bonferroni post-hoc test was used to compare the two methods and concluded that the variables of personal growth, self-acceptance, objective life, and mastery of the environment differed significantly between Gestalt and positive psychology groups (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Both positive psychology intervention and gestalt therapy have a positive effect on improving the well-being of patients with lung cancer. Additionally, Gestalt therapy has been more effective than positive psychology.

Keywords

• lung cancer
• group psychotherapy
• positive psychology
• gestalt therapy