Page 165 - EJMO-9-3

Eurasian Journal of
Medicine and Oncology Psychological care for cancer patients

addition, social support and communication effectiveness importance of mental health in comprehensive oncology
account for 45% of the variation in patients’ well-being care. 29
scores. 21 Despite the growing recognition of the psychological

Evidence-based psychological training programs burden facing cancer patients and the increasing role of
improve psychotherapist competence and patient psychiatric services in oncology, most current studies have
satisfaction by 30%. Group therapy models have been focused primarily on patient experiences and outcomes. In
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reported to reduce psychological distress by 25%. Training contrast, limited attention has been given to the perspectives
23
30
caregivers in psychological resilience and empathy further of mental health professionals providing these services
enhances mental health and reduces anxiety by 30%. In Moreover, there is a notable lack of empirical research
24
addition, non-verbal communication skills contribute examining predictors of psychological service quality,
to a 20% increase in treatment effectiveness. Artificial particularly within Arab or Middle Eastern contexts. This gap
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intelligence-powered supervision emerges as an effective is significant, as structural, cultural, and institutional factors
tool to improve psychotherapist performance and may differ significantly from Western healthcare models.
reduce bias in treatment outcomes. Mindfulness-based This gap highlights the need for research that explores the
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interventions integrated with psychotherapy significantly quality of services from the perspective of psychotherapists
improve the therapeutic relationship and reduce patient directly involved in caregiving. Addressing this gap is critical
stress. Mindfulness has also demonstrated protective for informing policy development, enhancing vocational
26
effects for at-risk groups, such as individuals with diabetes training, and improving mental health interventions in
and hypertension, by enhancing emotional regulation oncology care. Accordingly, this study aims to explore how
and reducing stress. Diabetes affects about 1 in 11 adults key provider-related variables—such as communication
worldwide, with a rising prevalence—from 529 million skills and psychotherapist effectiveness—affect the quality
patients in 2021 to approximately 1.31 billion in 2050. of psychological services provided to cancer patients in
In Italy, 5.9% of the population is diabetic, with a higher Riyadh. The main objectives are to:
prevalence among older adults and those in southern (i) Assess the quality of psychological services
regions. Practices such as yoga and mindfulness may provided to cancer patients from the perspective of
provide valuable support for diabetic patients, especially in psychotherapists;
a stressful context such as the COVID-19 pandemic. 27 (ii) Identify key factors that predict the quality of these
Despite the growing interest in psychiatric oncology, services;
there remains a significant gap in the scientific literature (iii) Analyze the availability of human and material
regarding the indicators of psychological service quality for resources affecting the quality of psychological
cancer patients from the perspective of psychotherapists. services; and
Recent studies tend to focus on patient outcomes, (iv) Examine the impact of the professional experience
treatment satisfaction, or the challenges faced by patients and training on the psychotherapists’ assessments of
during treatment while often overlooking the insights and the quality of psychological services.
experiences of psychotherapists themselves. In addition, Specifically, the study investigates the relationship
studies tend to integrate psychological, organizational, between psychotherapists’ communication skills, self-
and interactive factors that may affect service quality and perceived clinical effectiveness, and their assessment of
hinder the development of comprehensive, evidence-based service quality. Based on the literature and the theoretical
models essential for guiding trainees and practitioners and framework, the following hypotheses were formulated:
improving policies in cancer care settings. Understanding (i) There are statistically significant differences in the
these perspectives is critical to identifying care gaps, mean scores and standard deviations of participants’
ensuring the consistency of treatment approaches, responses on the Psychotherapist’s Communication
and promoting patient-centered practices that address Skills Scale (CSS).
emotional, cognitive, and behavioral needs during (ii) There are statistically significant differences in the
cancer treatment. Key service quality predictors—such mean scores and standard deviations of participants’
as psychotherapist competence, patient engagement, and responses on the Psychotherapist’s Self-Efficacy Scale.
institutional support—are vital for enhancing training (iii) Professional experience, specialization, age, academic
programs and informing policy decisions aimed at level, and workplace significantly predict the quality
improving patient outcomes. In addition, highlights the of psychological services provided to cancer patients,
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importance of integrating psychological expertise into as reflected in the psychotherapist’s competence and
multidisciplinary oncology teams while emphasizing the communication skills.

Volume 9 Issue 3 (2025) 157 doi: 10.36922/EJMO025110054