THE EFFECT OF BUDDHIST INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING ON DECREASING THE ANXIETY OF CANCER PATIENTS WITH THE END OF LIFE

Abstract

This study was a quasi-experimental research in nature. Its objectives were (1) to compare the difference of Mean of anxiety, expression through emotion, body, and behaviors one week before and after experiment and one-week of the follow-up session about the patients of the terminal stage of cancer who participated in the individual counseling based on Buddhadhamma; and (2) to compare Mean of anxiety, expression through emotion, body, and behaviors of patients with a normal treatment. Samples of the study were 24 patients of the third-fourth stage of cancer using a purposive sampling method as designed which were divided into two groups: a control group and experiment group with 12 respondents each. The tool of data collection was a questionnaire of anxiety, expression through emotion, body, and behaviors. For analyzing data One Way of ANOVA was administered.The results of the study were as follows:The Mean of emotional anxiety of experimental group subjects was lower than before experiment in the one week follow-up period at significantly statistical level of .05, and the Mean of bodily and behavioral anxieties were lower than before experiment in the one week follow-up period at significantly statistical level of .05. The Mean, moreover, of emotional, bodily and behavioral anxieties of the experiment group was found to be lower than that of the control group at significantly statistical level of .05 From the above results of the study it found that the individual counseling based on Buddhadhamma should have been applied in the caring process of patients of the terminal stage of cancer for decreasing the degree of their anxiety.