Effect of Implementing Domestic Truth-telling Protocol on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Cancer Patients

Background: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of implementing domestic truth-telling protocol on stress, anxiety, and depression in cancer patients. Method: In this study, a semi-experimental design was used to examine the effect of truth-telling protocol implementation on psychological factors (i.e., stress, anxiety, and depression) in cancer patients. A total of ۶۰ cancer patients participated in this study, ۳۰ of them in the intervention group (who informed their disease with truth-telling protocol) and ۳۰ others in the control group (who informed their disease with usual way and without protocol). Patients’ psychological factors were compared in intervention and control groups, three and eight weeks after the cancer disclosure by depression, anxiety, and stress scale-۲۱. Results: In this study, except higher stress level of patients in intervention compared to the control group, no statistically significant difference was seen in other variables three weeks after cancer disclosure (P=۰.۰۴۶, Z= -۱.۹۹). Eight weeks after the intervention, all variables were significantly lower in the intervention group (P=۰.۰۰۰, Z=-۵.۸۶۴; P= ۰.۰۰۰, Z=-۰.۶۵۱; P=۰.۰۰۰, Z=-۵.۳۵۱). Conclusion: Exercising truth-telling practice through implementing a localized culture-based protocol, especially after passing the initial acute phase of hearing the bad news, can lead to improved psychological factors in cancer patients.

Keywords:

Truth-telling , Domestic protocol , cancer , Breaking bad news