The Effectiveness of the Unified Protocol for Emotional Problems of Women with Breast Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Introduction: The results of many studies have confirmed the existence of different emotional problems in women with breast cancer. So far, no study has been carried out on the effectiveness of the unified protocol. Therefore, the current research aimed at studying the effectiveness of this protocol on emotional problems of women who suffer from breast cancer. Method: This study was a quasi-experimental study with a control group. The treatment lasted for 12 sessions (each session 60 min). The population included all women with breast cancer in Kermanshah. Sampling was done by convenience sampling. In this study, 40 women with breast cancer were divided into two control (20) and experimental (20) groups. The control group only received medication while the experimental group received a unified protocol along with medication. The participants were examined during pre-test, post-test and follow-up assessments. The assessments were done using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), Acceptance & Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II), and Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS). The data were analyzed via SPSS-24. Mean, standard deviation and repeated measures analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: The results of repeated measures analysis indicated that the unified protocol leads to significant improvements in the variables of the study (P<0.01). The effect size of this treatment on the variables was medium and higher. The highest size effect belonged to reappraisal, suppression, acceptance and action, depression, stress, anxiety and socio-occupational adaptation. Conclusion: The unified protocol led to a decrease in the emotional problems, an improvement in emotion regulation and acceptance towards this illness in women with breast cancer. The therapeutic implications have been discussed.