Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Farzin Bagheri Sheykhangafshe ¹
• Vahid Savabi Niri ²
• Mona Baheri ³
• Seyedeh Atousa Afsarpour ⁴
• Ali Fathi Ashtiani ⁵

¹ PhD in Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

² Masters, Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Ardabil Branch, Ardabil, Iran

³ Masters, Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Behshahr Branch, Behshahr, Iran

⁴ Masters, Department of Positive Islamic Psychology, Payame Noor University, Behshahr Branch, Behshahr, Iran

⁵ Professor, Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Spiritual Self-Care Training (SSCT) on posttraumatic growth (PTG), distress tolerance, and cognitive fusion in women diagnosed with breast cancer. This quasi-experimental research utilized a pretest-posttest control group design. The statistical population included women referred to cancer treatment and support centers in Tehran in 2024. A total of 34 women were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Participants completed the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS), and the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ) before and after the intervention. The experimental group received six 90-minute sessions of SSCT, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) with SPSS-27. The results indicated that SSCT significantly increased posttraumatic growth and distress tolerance and significantly reduced cognitive fusion in the experimental group (P < 0.001). These findings suggest that spiritual self-care training can serve as an effective and complementary intervention alongside psychological therapies to foster resilience, promote posttraumatic psychological growth, and reduce cognitive entanglement in women with breast cancer.

Keywords

• Breast cancer
• cognitive fusion
• distress tolerance
• posttraumatic growth
• spiritual self-care