Page 163 - EJMO-9-3

Eurasian Journal of Medicine

and Oncology

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Psychotherapists’ perspectives on the quality

of psychological services for cancer patients in
Riyadh: A predictive study

Yahya Khatatbeh*

Department of Psychology, College of Social Sciences, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic
University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Nursing Care in Cancer)

Abstract

Introduction: Psychological services play a vital role in supporting cancer patients,
yet their quality is influenced by provider-related factors that remain underexplored.
Objective: The objective of this study was to predict the quality of psychological
services provided to cancer patients in Riyadh from the perspective of psychotherapists
and to assess the predictive value of key variables within the target group.
Methods: A questionnaire assessing communication skills scale and psychotherapist
competence was completed by 329 psychotherapists.
Results: Our findings revealed that the highest mean score was observed for the empathy
dimension (54.20), whereas respect and authenticity recorded the lowest mean score
*Corresponding author: (19.28). The overall quality of psychological services had a mean score of 174.88 ± 9.53.
Yahya Khatatbeh Regarding the psychotherapist self-efficacy scale, clinical competence recorded the
(ymkatatbh@imamu.edu.sa)
highest mean (20.41), whereas influence regulation had the lowest mean score (7.95).
Citation: Khatatbeh Y. The total score for psychotherapist competence was 79.33. Predictive analysis revealed
Psychotherapists’ perspectives on
the quality of psychological services that the workplace and academic level of psychotherapists were statistically significant
for cancer patients in Riyadh: A predictors of service quality (p<0.05). The independent variables accounted for 41% of
predictive study. Eurasian J Med the variance in psychotherapist competence and 16% of the variance in communication
Oncol. 2025;9(3):155-167.
doi: 10.36922/EJMO025110054 skills with patients, indicating an overall weak predictive relationship.
Conclusion: Clinical practice implications should be considered. The identified
Received: March 13, 2025
predictors—communication skills, workplace, and academic level—may guide
1st revised: April 19, 2025 future efforts to enhance therapeutic approaches. Focusing on improving empathy
2nd revised: April 29, 2025 and emotional regulation could further strengthen the quality of psychological care
for cancer patients. Further studies are encouraged to translate these findings into
Accepted: May 12, 2025
practical clinical strategies.
Published online: June 20, 2025
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). Keywords: Psychological services; Cancer patients; Riyadh; psychotherapists; Predictive
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the study
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is
properly cited. 1. Introduction
Publisher’s Note: AccScience Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10
Publishing remains neutral with million deaths in 2020. In Spain, 300,000 new cancer cases and more than 110,000
1
regard to jurisdictional claims in 2
published maps and institutional deaths were recorded in 2020. Research indicates that 35 – 80% of cancer patients are in
3
affiliations. psychological distress, with 10 – 40% of patients experiencing anxiety and depression,
Volume 9 Issue 3 (2025) 155 doi: 10.36922/EJMO025110054