The effect of psychodrama group therapy on coping and the quality of life of palliative care nurses

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare professionals play a crucial role in palliative care. Palliative care professionals experience physical, psychological, and emotional distress. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of psychodrama group therapy on palliative care nurses' coping and quality of life.
METHODS: This study adopted a single-group, repetitive-measurement (pretest, posttest, and follow-up) experimental design. The study population consisted of 15 nurses in the palliative care clinic of a training and research hospital on the European side of Istanbul. Twelve nurses participated in the first session; however, one nurse did not take the posttest and follow-up test. Therefore, the sample consisted of 11 nurses. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Ways of Coping Inventory (WCI), and the Professional Quality of Life Scale (PQLS).
RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the pretest, posttest, and follow-up test WCI “helpless” (p=.001) and “submissive”(p=.000) subscale scores as well as between the pretest, posttest, and follow-up test PQLS “compassion fatigue” (p=.003) subscale scores.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Psychodrama group therapy helps palliative care nurses to use more effective coping strategies and experience less compassion fatigue.