Effect of Counseling on Anxiety Among Women with Abnormal Cervical Cancer Screening
Abstract
Background: Cervical cancer is the second most frequent cancer among women in Thailand. This cancer is preventable by screening programs that cover most of the target population and curable if the abnormality was found in the pre-cancerous stage. Women with positive screening results required further investigation and proper treatment as they carry the risk of progression to invasive cancer or recurrence of the disease. Women receive a report of abnormal findings on screening tests tend to develop many anxiety predictions. Some assume that positive means having cancer and even afraid to receive the screening result. Counseling programs by professional nurses have beneficial in alleviating distress for most women before receive any further treatments.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to access the effect of counseling program on psychological anxiety of women who received abnormal cervical cancer screening results.
Study design: This study was carried out by before-after design with control. Participants were the woman reported with an abnormal cervical cytology test who visited at the Obstetrics and Gynecological outpatient department of Phrae hospital. Patients who are additionally diagnosed with a biopsy, and receiving treatment during December 2019 and May 2020. The participants consisted of 60 patients. The experimental group received routine care plus counseling program. The control group only received conventional nursing care. The research instrument were 1) counseling programs 2) The State Anxiety Inventory form by Spielberger. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics includes percentage, mean and standard deviations. The basic data of the two groups were compared by the exact probability test, rank-sum test, t-test. The distress score before and after receiving counseling program in the experimental and controlled group were analyzed by paired t-test.
Result: From all 60 participants, 30 participants of the controlled group and 30 participants of the experimental group. Mean of anxiety level score after counseling program was 39.6± 3.8 points in the experimental group and 48.0±6.9 points in the controlled group which different significantly (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The woman reported with an abnormal cervical cytology test should receive a counseling program for alleviating stress and anxiety about the abnormal screening result and further managements.
Keywords: Counseling, anxiety, cervical cancer screening, abnormal cervical cytology test
