The role of humor in hope and posttraumatic growth among patients with leukemia

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 MA. in psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran

2 Assistant professor, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: The increasing incidence of leukemia is one of the problems of modern medical science. People diagnosed with cancer need to stay hopeful during the process of treatment. Moreover, the diagnosis of cancer sometimes leads to posttraumatic growth. In this regard, this study aimed to investigate the role of humor in hope and posttraumatic growth among leukemia patients in Zahedan.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted in Imam Ali (AS) Hospital in Zahedan in 2015. The sample consisted of 70 patients selected by the convenience sampling method. The measurement tools were the Khashoui et al. Sense of Humor Questionnaire (SHQ), the Snyder et al. Hope Scale, and the Tedeschi and Calhoun Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. To analyze the relationships among the variables and to predict variances in hope and posttraumatic growth, the correlation tests and the stepwise regression analysis were used.
Results: The results showed that the total score of humor (r= 0.37, P<0.01) and the subscales of enjoying humor (r= 0.34, P<0.01) and having a sense of humor in stressful conditions (r= 0.28, P<0.05) were significantly and positively related to hope. Additionally, the results of the stepwise regression analysis indicated that the total score of humor was able to significantly predict hope (β= 0.37, P<0.01). Moreover, the results demonstrated that there was a significant and positive relationship between the total score of humor and posttraumatic growth (r= 0.46, P<0.001) and the results of regression analysis showed that the total score of humor was able to significantly predict posttraumatic growth (β= 0.46, P<0.01).
Conclusion: The findings of this study confirmed the role of humor in predicting hope and posttraumatic growth among the leukemia patients.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health
Volume 20, Issue 3
May and June 2018
Pages 137-144

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