Title: Effect of hope therapy on health adjustment in parents of a child with cancer
Abstract:
Background: Cancer is one of the most common diseases in children, leading to a loss of hope and fear of the child's death. Consequently, it impairs the health adjustment of parents. Therefore, the goal of this research was to determine the effect of hope therapy on the health adjustment of parents of children with cancer.
Method: The present study was a quasi-experimental study involving two groups, conducted in 2021 with sixty parents of children with cancer who were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. The questionnaire comprised two parts: demographic information and the Coping Health Inventory for Parents questionnaire. Hope therapy was administered over eight sessions, and the level of family health adjustment was assessed and compared before and one month after the program implementation. The data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software version 22.
Results: The mean scores of parents' health adjustment in the intervention group before receiving the intervention were 52.62 ± 13.63, which increased to 71.76 ± 9.08 after receiving the intervention. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001), while the difference was not significant in the control group (P = 0.25).
Conclusion: The implementation of hope therapy improves the health adjustments of parents of a child with cancer, which can be considered an effective factor in enhancing the health of both parents and children.
