The effectiveness of storytelling training based on positive self-talk on hope and worry about body image in children with cancer

This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of storytelling training based on positive self-talk on hope and concern about body image in children with cancer.

This semi-experimental research had a pre-test-post-test with an experimental group and a control group. The statistical population of the current study consists of all children aged 8 to 12 years old with all types of cancer who were treated in Bou Ali Sinai Hospital in Sari from 2021 to June 2022. The sample size included 40 children with various types of cancer, who were selected by purposeful sampling and according to the criteria for entering and exiting the study. Then they were randomly placed in two groups of 20 people (an experimental group and a control group). The experimental group underwent 10 60-minute sessions of storytelling training based on positive self-talk, but the control group did not receive any intervention during this period. The tools used are children's hope questionnaire (Snyder et al., 1996) and concern about body image (Littleton et al., 2005). Data analysis was done by ANCOVA analysis of covariance in SPSS-25 software.

The results showed that storytelling training based on positive self-talk had a significant effect on hope and body image of cancer children in the experimental group compared to the control group (p<0.05).

The effectiveness of this training can be effective in increasing hope and reducing anxiety about body image in children with cancer, and this approach can be used in hospitals with children with cancer