The psychosocial impact and value of participating in a storytelling intervention for patients diagnosed with cancer: an integrative review

Background
Interventions have recently been developed to test the therapeutic value of storytelling for people with cancer. This evidence includes different designs, as a result an integrative review is needed that can determine the impact and value of storytelling interventions for people with cancer.
Aims
To undertake an integrative review of evidence identifying the impact and outcomes from storytelling interventions for people with cancer.
Methods
An integrative review of group based storytelling interventions using a qualitative led-synthesis.
Results
Eleven studies were identified with a total of 493 (49 female, 16 male, 428 not disclosed) people included. Two major themes were identified: (a) content of interaction and (b) outcomes from the interventions. Six sub-themes were identified. The results provided a unique insight into the psycho-emotional impact of storytelling interventions.
Conclusions
It is essential that health care professionals understand the core benefits of storytelling for people with cancer. Further interventions are needed to identify an approach which could be applied within clinical settings.