The relationship of posttraumatic growth with quality of life in cancer patients

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is a person’s mental experience of positive psychological changes induced by encountering extremely challenging situations. This study aimed to investigate the concept of posttraumatic growth and its relationship with quality of life (QOL) in cancer patients. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study population consisted of cancer patients referred to two main cancer referral hospitals in Iran. Samples included 154 patients that met study inclusion criteria, and were selected by convenient sampling. Study tools included demographic details questionnaire, “posttraumatic growth inventory”, and “SF-36”. Data were analyzed using SPSS-15 software. Mean age of study subjects was found 44±14.27 years, and 56.5% of them were female. In this study, mean score of PTG was 71.14±14.5, mean QOL score was 60.24±19 in the physical dimension, and 59.86±17.6 in the mental dimension. Significant correlations were found between PTG and the physical dimension of QOL (r=0.183, P=0.02) as well as the mental dimension (r=0.245, and P=0.002). Also, significant correlations were observed between dimensions of personal strength, appreciation of life, and new possibilities, with QOL. However, this correlation was inversed in relation to spiritual changes. PTG rate, especially in the dimension of spiritual changes was high in cancer patients, and a direct and significant correlation was observed between PTG and QOL