Acceso usuarios
Alejandra Arizu Onassis, Joan C. Medina, María Lleras de Frutos, Aida Flix Valle, Maria Serra Blasco, Laura Ciria Suarez, Cristian Ochoa Arnedo
Objective To explore the role of group cohesion (GC) in-person positive group psychotherapy (PPPC) and online positive group psychotherapy (OPPC).
Method A sample of 126 female cancer survivors experiencing emotional distress following primary oncological treatment was randomized to PPPC or OPPC. Measures of emotional distress, post-traumatic stress, and post-traumatic growth were taken at pre-treatment, post-treatment (after 12 weeks), and 3-month follow-up (from post-treatment), with GC assessed at post-treatment for this secondary analysis.
Results There were no significant differences in GC levels between the PPPC and OPPC groups. Higher GC was associated with greater reductions in depressive symptoms (b= -0.80, CI(95 %)= -1.18 – -0.42, p< 0.001) and post-traumatic stress (b= -1.38, CI(95 %)= -2.42 – -0.34, p< 0.010) in both modalities. Participants with higher GC reported immediate post-traumatic growth at post-treatment, while those with lower GC achieved similar growth levels by 3-month follow-up. No specific sociodemographic or clinical variables were associated with higher GC.
Conclusions In group psychotherapy for cancer survivors, GC is associated with a more pronounced reduction of depressive symptoms and post-traumatic stress, and with earlier post-traumatic growth in both OPPC and PPPC. Findings suggest that all cancer survivors have equal potential to develop GC, regardless of clinical or sociodemographic characteristics.
