Design and validation of an educational program based on the posttraumatic growth model and its effectiveness in the cognitive flexibility of leukemia patients

Introduction: Lack of cognitive flexibility intensifies an individual's negative thoughts about oneself. Aim: The present study aimed to design and validate an educational program based on the posttraumatic growth model and to evaluate its effectiveness in the cognitive flexibility of leukemia patients. Method: In this quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest control group design, the statistical population consisted of all patients referred to Firouzgar Hospital of Tehran, Iran, in 2022. The sample size 30 patients were selected by the convenience sampling method and randomly allocated into the experimental and control groups. The Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire (2010) was used to collect the required data. The educational program based on the posttraumatic growth model was held in 12 sessions, and a follow-up experiment was conducted to evaluate the durability of intervention effects. The results were analyzed using the multivariate analysis of covariance and repeated measures ANOVA in SPSS version 22. Results: The results showed that the F-values measured for the components of cognitive flexibility, including the perception of controllability, perception of different options, and perception of behavior justification, were significant (P<0.01), suggesting the impact of the training program based on the posttraumatic growth model on cognitive flexibility. The results of repeated measures ANOVA also indicated the persistence of the effects of the training program on cognitive flexibility (P<0.01). Conclusion: The result of the research showed that the training program according to the posttraumatic growth model was effective in cognitive flexibility, and its effect persisted until the follow-up period. Therefore, this program can be used as an effective intervention to improve the cognitive flexibility of patients with leukemia.