Psychosocial interventions on the posttraumatic growth of adults with cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials

BackgroundIt has been increasingly recognized that some people experience post-traumatic growth (PTG) as a result of struggling with cancer.ObjectiveThis systematic review aims to identify psychosocial interventions that might facilitate PTG in adults with cancer.MethodsA search was conducted in PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and ProQuest up to 16 September 2022. The PRISMA guidelines were followed; all included interventional studies had to comprise 30 or more adults with cancer, using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, from 1994 forward.ResultsA total of 2731 articles were retrieved, 1028 of those were screened and 37 unique trials were included (46 articles). A large number of studies were published since 2018 (52.4%), were randomized controlled trials (43.2%), and had group interventions (34.8%), including mainly female participants (83.8%) with a single cancer type (54.1%). Most interventions (75.7%) were moderately to highly effective in increasing PTG (d = 0.65, 95% CI 0.39-0.91) with the most effective interventions using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (d = 1.24, 95% CI: 0.05-2.44), Mindfulness-based (d = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.14-0.94) and Education, Peer Support and Health Coaching interventions (d = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.1-0.46). Expression-based and Positive Psychology-based approaches also showed promising results. Notably, the majority of studies had a high risk of bias.ConclusionsPTG facilitation is a promising field that should be pursued as it not only allows people with cancer to overcome their trauma but also results in them going over and above their pre-cancer state, enhancing resilience, health, and well-being.

Automated summary

Psychosocial interventions for post-traumatic growth (PTG) in adults with cancer show promise, with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness-based interventions, and Education, Peer Support and Health Coaching interventions being the most effective. Expression-based and Positive Psychology-based approaches also show promising results. However, many studies have a high risk of bias.