Quality of Life and Hope Assessment in Women with Breast Cancer After Poetry Therapy as a Psychotherapy Method: A 6-Month Follow-Up Study

Abstract

Background: Quality of life in patients with cancer is an important issue. It affects different aspects of the patients’ life. Supportive group therapy helps the majority of women with breast cancer to treat their disease and decrease the recurrence of the disease. Group poetry therapy, as a safe method, can be used to increase the quality of life of patients. Objectives: We designed this study to evaluate the effect of poetry therapy on the quality of life of patients with cancer. Methods: A total of 91 participants were divided into the poetry therapy group (n = 31) and the control group (n = 60). Six sessions of weekly poetry therapy were held. Miller Hope scale, Quality-of-Life Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30), and Quality of Life Questionnaires-Breast 23 (QLQ-BR23) were fulfilled by patients before, 1 week, and 2 and 6 months after the intervention. Results: Poetry therapy increased hope based on Miller Hope scale 1 week, 8 weeks, and 6 months after the intervention (P = 0.001). The improvement of the functional item of QLQ-BR23 and QLQ-C30 was significant in poetry therapy in comparison with the control group at the end of the study (P = 0.001). The change of side effect items does not differ over the course of the study (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Group poetry therapy can be a good psychotherapy way to increase the quality of life of patients with breast cancer.