The effect of the spiritual intervention on reducing anxiety caused by COVID-19 in patients with cancer

BACKGROUND: Cancer is a disease with a high prevalence that can lead to emotional and psychological disorders such as anxiety. Anxiety in these individuals weakens the body's immune system and makes it vulnerable to diseases, including coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of spiritual intervention on reducing anxiety caused by COVID-19 among patients with cancer. METHODS: This was a semi-experimental study. The statistical population consisted of patients with cancer referred to the oncology departments in Tohid Hospital in Sanandaj City, Iran, from June 2022 to February 2023. The samples were selected using random sampling. The sample size was 90 participants. The intervention group underwent spiritual intervention, which was held during 6 group sessions daily for 45 minutes. Data were collected using the COVID-19 Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS) and were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) using the Stata software. RESULTS: The average score of anxiety in the intervention group showed a significant difference in the post-test (P < 0.001), but the average score of the individuals in the control group did not differ in the post-test (P = 0.335). It showed that the difference between the two groups with regard to the dependent variables was significant in total (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: According to the results of the present study, spiritual intervention can be used to reduce negative psychological consequences and increase effective strategies to deal with anxiety in patients with cancer.