Examining the effects of an online group intervention for posttraumatic growth (PTG) among Turkish women diagnosed with breast cancer: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Breast cancer is the most common cancer type among women, and it is a life-threatening disease. Although women with breast cancer may experience psychological distress, they may also experience posttraumatic growth (PTG). Therefore, this pilot study aimed to develop and test the effectiveness of an online group intervention focused on posttraumatic growth (PTGG) in women diagnosed with breast cancer. The sample of the randomized controlled trial consisted of 49 women with a mean age of 45.94 (7.57) years, ranging from 28 to 64 years, who were randomly assigned to eight weekly group sessions of PTGG, support groups (SG), and waitlist control groups (WLG). PTG, depression, anxiety, and stress scores were assessed at the pretest, posttest, and one-month follow-up. ANCOVA results indicated that PTGG was effective in promoting PTG on both the total and subscales and in reducing depression, compared with the other groups. These improvements were maintained at follow-up in favor of PTGG. However, no statistically significant differences were found between PTGG, SG, and WLG for anxiety and stress, indicating that no advantages were found in favor of either PTGG or SG. It was observed that the intervention effect was significant in analyses that included only clinically distressed individuals. Clinically depressed and anxious individuals in the PTGG reported greater improvements than those in the control group. Concerning these findings, our results also suggest that PTGG could be considered an effective online group intervention for distressed individuals with scores above the threshold, particularly for depression and anxiety. In conclusion, online PTGG can be used as an effective approach to enhance PTG and reduce psychological distress in women with breast cancer.