The effectiveness of a counseling program to reduce anxiety and depression in children with leukemia at Kuwait Hospital in the capital, Sana'a.

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the effectiveness of a counseling program to reduce anxiety and depression among children with leukemia at Kuwait Hospital in the capital, Sana'a. The researcher used the descriptive analytical and quasi-experimental approaches. The study population and sample were determined from all children with leukemia who visited Kuwait Hospital for the year (2023-2024) and whose ages ranged between (11-18) years, and whose number reached (100) children, both male and female. The level of anxiety and depression among them was determined, and a random sample of (17) children, both male and female, was selected from them to apply the counseling program on them. Its members received a counseling program based on the cognitive behavioral therapy approach consisting of (14) sessions, session per week, and each session lasted (45-60-90) minutes. To measure the level of anxiety and depression, and to measure the effectiveness of the counseling program to reduce anxiety and depression among the two samples, the researcher used the RCADS to measure anxiety and depression. The results showed:

• The average level of anxiety and depression in general among children with leukemia who visited Kuwait Hospital in the capital, Sana’a, was (2.93), which is a high score.


• The Friedman test revealed statistically significant differences between the three measures (p >.001) in all domains, and the Wilcoxon test for analysis of pairwise differences between the three measures revealed that all comparisons in all domains were statistically significant (p <.001), indicating that the participants' anxiety and depression levels changed significantly over time, and that the program was highly effective in reducing anxiety and depression in children with leukemia at Kuwait Hospital in the capital, Sana'a.