A comprehensive review and meta-analysis of clinical trials examining the impact of logotherapy on anxiety and depression in cancer patients

Authors

  • Maryam Shaygan Community Based Psychiatric Care Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Shiraz, Iran
  • Fateme Beheshtaeen School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
  • Reza Moshfeghinia Research Center for Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
  • Davood Zarei Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
  • Sahar Khaki Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
  • Marzieh Kargar Jahromi Department of Nursing, Gerash University of Medical Sciences, Gerash, Iran
  • Ehsan Afzal Diagnostic Laboratory Sciences and Technology Research Center, Paramedical School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v25i1.86402

Keywords:

Anxiety; Cancer; Depression; Logotherapy; Neoplasm; Psychology

Abstract

Background Individuals with cancer experience substantial distress, including anxiety and depression, due to disease burden and impending death. Aim Psycho-spiritual interventions such as logotherapy could enhance the mental health of these patients. This systematic review and meta-analysis study aimed to investigate the impacts of logotherapy on depression and anxiety in patients with cancer. Materials and methods PubMed, Proquest, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched. Cochrane Collaboration’s tool was utilized for the risk of bias assessment. A random-effect model was applied to estimate the pooled effect sizes. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA software version 17. Results Twenty-five clinical trial studies were included in the systematic review. Twenty-three studies investigated the impact of logotherapy on depression and twenty studies were included to assess the effects of logotherapy on anxiety in cancer patients. The meta-analysis results showed a significant effect of logotherapy compared with routine care for anxiety (SMD: -9.38 [-17.50, -1.26], I2: 99.93%) and depression (SMD: -4.67 [-5.90, -3.44], I2: 96.29%). Other findings revealed no significant differences among the subgroups on group formation, cancer stage, and cancer type. Egger’s and Begg’s test showed potential risk of bias in studies. Conclusion This study demonstrated that logotherapy led to a significant improvement in anxiety and depression of patients with cancer. It seems that finding meaning in life could help cancer patients to deal with cancer adversities.

BJMS, Vol. 25 No. 01 January’26 Page : 38-51

 

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Author Biography

Maryam Shaygan, Community Based Psychiatric Care Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Shiraz, Iran

 

 

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Published

2026-01-26

How to Cite

Shaygan, M., Beheshtaeen, F., Moshfeghinia, R., Zarei, D., Khaki, S., Jahromi, M. K., & Afzal, E. (2026). A comprehensive review and meta-analysis of clinical trials examining the impact of logotherapy on anxiety and depression in cancer patients. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science, 25(1), 38–51. https://doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v25i1.86402

Issue

Vol. 25 No. 1 (2026)

Section

Review Article

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Maryam Shaygan, Fateme Beheshtaeen, Reza Moshfeghinia, Davood Zarei, Sahar Khaki, Marzieh Kargar Jahromi, Ehsan Afzal

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