Effect of continued acceptance and commitment therapy intervention on post-traumatic growth of postoperative patients with breast cancer

Objective To evaluate the effects of continued acceptance and commitment therapy intervention on post-traumatic growth of postoperative patients with breast cancer. Methods According to the hospitalization time, 120 patients with breast cancer were divided into observation group (62 cases) and control group (58 cases). From January to December 2017, 58 patients were used as control group. Regular health education and discharge follow-up were performed. Intervention with the commitment therapy 3 times; 62 patients from January to December 2018 were selected as the observation group. On the basis of the control group, the patient continued to receive and commit the intervention for 3 to 4 times from February to March after discharge. The post-traumatic growth status of patients before, at the time of discharge (after the intervention), at the hospital for 2 months, at the hospital for 3 months, and at the hospital for 6 months was assessed using the Simplified Chinese version of the Post-Treatment Growth Rating Scale (PTGI). Results There was no significant difference in the post-traumatic growth scores between the two groups (P>0.05). The post-traumatic growth scores of the two groups were 67.02±14.17, 66.93±14.24, which were better than 51.72±11.65, 51.86±11.67 before the intervention (t= 7.634, 7.725, P<0.05). At 3 months and 6 months after discharge, the post-traumatic growth scores of the observation group were (67.12±14.07) and (68.21±14.48), which were significantly better than the control group (54.17±11.64). 54.02±11.12), the difference was statistically significant (t= 7.957, 7.674, P<0.01). Conclusion Acceptance and commitment therapy intervention during hospitalization can effectively improve post-traumatic growth of postoperative patients with breast cancer. Continued admission and commitment therapy intervention after discharge can provide patients with out-of-hospital continuous care programs to improve post-traumatic growth of postoperative patients with breast cancer. It has a better long-term effect than the control group. Key words: Breast cancer; Acceptance and commitment therapy; Continuing care; Post-traumatic growth