1- Department of Psychology, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran , z.moeinikia@gmail.com
2- Department of Psychology, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
2- Department of Psychology, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract: (5 Views)
Objective: The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of distress tolerance skills training on emotional dyslexia, anxiety sensitivity, and life expectancy in women with various types of cancer.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a follow-up phase and a control group. The sample consisted of 30 women with cancer who were referred to two private centers in Isfahan, Iran, in 2024 and were selected through purposive sampling. Participants were assigned to an experimental group, which received distress tolerance skills training, and a control group, which received no intervention. Data were collected using the Life Expectancy Questionnaire, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and an anxiety sensitivity questionnaire. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance and comparative statistical methods.
Results: The findings showed that distress tolerance skills training had a significant effect on life expectancy, emotional dyslexia, and anxiety sensitivity in women with cancer at the level. In the posttest phase, there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups (). In the follow-up phase, the effects of training on life expectancy and anxiety sensitivity remained significant (), indicating the stability of these improvements over time.
Conclusions: The results suggest that distress tolerance skills training can reduce psychological difficulties and improve life expectancy and anxiety-related outcomes in women with cancer. Therefore, counselors and psychologists working with patients suffering from chronic illnesses are encouraged to use distress tolerance-based interventions to help reduce the psychological burden of cancer and improve patients’ mental well-being.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a follow-up phase and a control group. The sample consisted of 30 women with cancer who were referred to two private centers in Isfahan, Iran, in 2024 and were selected through purposive sampling. Participants were assigned to an experimental group, which received distress tolerance skills training, and a control group, which received no intervention. Data were collected using the Life Expectancy Questionnaire, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and an anxiety sensitivity questionnaire. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance and comparative statistical methods.
Results: The findings showed that distress tolerance skills training had a significant effect on life expectancy, emotional dyslexia, and anxiety sensitivity in women with cancer at the level. In the posttest phase, there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups (). In the follow-up phase, the effects of training on life expectancy and anxiety sensitivity remained significant (), indicating the stability of these improvements over time.
Conclusions: The results suggest that distress tolerance skills training can reduce psychological difficulties and improve life expectancy and anxiety-related outcomes in women with cancer. Therefore, counselors and psychologists working with patients suffering from chronic illnesses are encouraged to use distress tolerance-based interventions to help reduce the psychological burden of cancer and improve patients’ mental well-being.
Keywords: Distress Tolerance Skills Training, Life Expectancy, Emotional Dyslexia, Anxiety Sensitivity, Cancer
Type of Study: Original |
Subject:
Evolutionary Psychology
Received: 2025/12/24 | Accepted: 2026/05/26
Received: 2025/12/24 | Accepted: 2026/05/26
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