The effects of group sandplay therapy on emotional status and coping style in patients with gastric cancer undergoing chemotherapy / 中国实用护理杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the application of group sandbox game intervention on emotional state and coping style in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:A total of 92 patients with gastric cancer treated with chemotherapy in the First People′s Hospital of Lianyungang from March 2018 to March 2019 were selected by convenient sampling method, they were divided into two groups according to admission time, 46 patients in the control group received conventional care after chemotherapy, and 46 patients in the observation group received group sandplay therapy for three months which was performed after chemotherapy. The Distress Thermometer(DT), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Medical Copingmodes Questionnaire (MCMQ) were used to assess the emotional status and coping style of the patients before and after intervention.Results:After intervention, the DT, HAMA and HAMD scores of the observation group were 2.26±2.09, 13.52±2.50 and 16.47±3.61 respectively, and the DT, HAMA and HAMD scores of the control group were 3.36±2.23 and 20.85±4.53, 23.63±4.82, respectively. The DT, HAMA, HAMD scores in observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group, the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( t value was 2.441, 9.608, 8.064, P<0.05). The dimensional score of the MCMQ measurement surface of the observation group after intervention was 18.35±3.19, and 14.25±3.04 in the control group. MCMQ scale escape and yield dimension scores in the observation group were 15.26±3.14, 10.24±2.56, and 17.81±2.59 and 12.84±2.64 in the control group. After the intervention, the observation group′s MCMQ surface score was higher than the control group, and the escape and yield dimension score was lower than that of the control group ( t value was 6.311, 4.249, 4.795, P<0.05). Conclusions:Group sandplay therapy can relieve negative emotion in patients with gastric cancer undergoing chemotherapy, and improve their coping style.