Supportive-Expressive Group Therapy Intervention for Negative Affect in Cervical Cancer Patients

Objective To explore the effect of supportive-expressive group therapy (SEGT) on the improvement of negative emotions in patients with cervical cancer. Methods Using a stratified random sampling method, Postoperative hospitalized patients with cervical cancer treated in our hospital between June 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024 were prospectively included. A total of 120 patients were randomly assigned using a random number table to either the study group or the control group, with 60 patients in each group. The control group received conventional care, while the study group received SEGT in addition to conventional care. Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) scores, Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) scores, Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) scores, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) scores, and Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) scores were collected and the t-test and chi-square test were used for comparison. Results After intervention, the SAS scores (P < 0.001) and SDS scores (P < 0.001) in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group, while the internal support scores (P < 0.001) and external support scores (P < 0.001) were significantly higher than those in the control group. After the intervention, the study group demonstrated significantly better outcomes than the control group in overal health status (P<0.001), Physical functioning (P=0.013), social functioning (P<0.001), fatigue (P=0.003), and nausea and vomiting (P<0.001). After the intervention, the study group demonstrated significantly lower scores than the control group in somatization (P<0.001), hostility (P<0.001), interpersonal sensitivity (P<0.001), depression (P<0.001), Anxiety (P<0.001), obsessive-compulsive symptoms (P<0.001), phobic anxiety (P<0.001), paranoid ideation (P<0.001), and psychoticism (P<0.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that supportive-expressive group therapy effectively reduced negative affect in cervical cancer patients, while simultaneously enhancing perceived social support and quality of life among the cancer patients, contributing to improved psychological well-being.