Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Current Psychology, cilt.44, sa.11, ss.10617-10633, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus)
Cancer is a complex and multifaceted global health issue that significantly impacts individuals’ quality of life, daily living, and overall well-being. Recent studies highlight the positive developments in treating psychological symptoms and issues related to cancer through the application of positive psychotherapy (PPT) interventions in individuals diagnosed with cancer. Based on these findings, this study aims to conduct a systematic literature review on the effectiveness of positive psychotherapy-based interventions, which are increasingly applied to individuals diagnosed with cancer. This research is a systematic review. The study employed the PRISMA flow diagram and PRISMA checklist, adhering to evidence-based criteria. Studies conducted from 2019 onward were searched in the Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane databases using the keywords “cancer,” “positive psychotherapy”, “PPT,” and “psycho-oncology.” A total of nine studies that met the inclusion criteria were included in the review. Both researchers independently conducted this process, and the studies were evaluated comprehensively from various perspectives. The results of the reviewed studies indicate that PPT interventions could be an effective and alternative method in terms of short-term efficacy in cancer patients. They show improvements in psychological health and variables related to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and growth, happiness, self-awareness, body image, psychological well-being, fear of recurrence, and meaning of life—including life experience, hope, life expectancy, life attitude, and quality of sexual life. Our review supports the short-term efficacy of Positive Psychotherapy (PPT). However, the results should be carefully evaluated, considering the low number of trials. High-quality trials with longer follow-up periods are needed to draw more robust conclusions about the long-term efficacy of PPT.