Hope-Focused Motivational Interviewing in Cancer Patients

This study is designed as a randomized controlled experimental study with a pretest-posttest and follow-up design. It will be conducted with individuals diagnosed with cancer who are receiving inpatient care in the Radiation Oncology unit of a City Hospital. According to the G*Power analysis, a minimum of 46 participants (intervention = 23, control = 23) will be included in the study. The computer-aided https://www.random.org/integers/ program will be used to assign the intervention and control groups without bias. The intervention group will receive a "Hope-Focused Motivational Interviewing" program consisting of four sessions delivered twice weekly, while the control group will receive routine treatment and care. Data will be collected using the "Information Form," "Herth Hope Index," "Brief Self-Compassion Scale," and "General Self-Efficacy Scale." Measurements will be obtained before and after the intervention. To minimize bias, data will be collected via Google Forms. The first page of the form will include information about the study along with an informed consent statement, and participants will be required to provide their consent before proceeding. Participants who agree to take part in the study will complete the questionnaires within approximately 15-20 minutes.

Inclusion criteria

• Being 18 years of age or older
• Having a diagnosis of Stage I-III cancer according to the TNM staging system Receiving radiotherapy at the study center (including adjuvant, neoadjuvant, or definitive RT)
• Being in the first week of the radiotherapy process
• Being able to read and understand Turkish and communicate at a level sufficient to participate in interviews
• Agreeing to attend the intervention sessions at scheduled times and providing written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Presence of metastatic disease (Stage IV) or recurrent cancer
• Receiving concurrent chemotherapy during the radiotherapy process
• Presence of severe psychiatric conditions that may interfere with participation or the safe implementation of the intervention (e.g., psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder in the manic phase, or severe major depression)
• Presence of moderate to severe cognitive impairment/dementia, significant attention or concentration problems, or neurological conditions that may compromise the reliability of responses
• Severe hearing or speech impairments or communication difficulties that would prevent participation in interviews or completion of questionnaires (if appropriate support cannot be provided)
• Participation in another structured psychosocial intervention program (e.g., hope-based, psychoeducational, or psychotherapeutic programs) during the study period