Resourcefulness training on cancer-related fatigue and fear of cancer recurrence in patients undergoing colorectal cancer chemotherapy: a quasi-experimental study.

[BACKGROUND] Patients with colorectal cancer commonly experience problems, such as fear of cancer recurrence and cancer-related fatigue, which seriously affect their physical and mental health. This study aimed to investigate the applicability of resourcefulness training on patients with colorectal cancer undergoing chemotherapy and explore its impact on patients' cancer-related fatigue scores, fear of cancer recurrence scores, and resourcefulness levels.

[MATERIALS AND METHODS] Sixty chemotherapy patients who attended a tertiary comprehensive hospital in Zhejiang Province between May and July 2025 were enrolled in the study and divided into two groups according to the ward. The control group received routine care, while the intervention group received a four-week resourcefulness intervention, in addition to routine care. Pre- and post-intervention differences between the two groups were compared using the Cancer Fatigue Scale, the Fear of Recurrence Questionnaire, and the Resourcefulness Scale. Descriptive analysis was used, and data were analyzed using the Student's t-test, Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, paired t-test, or Wilcoxon signed-rank test, depending on data normality. Analysis of covariance was used to compare the two groups after the intervention.

[RESULTS] The total scores for fear of cancer recurrence and cancer-related fatigue in both groups decreased compared to those before the intervention ( < 0.001), while the total score for resourcefulness increased compared to those before the intervention ( < 0.001). Inter-group comparisons revealed that the fear of cancer recurrence score was significantly lower ( = 140.734, < 0.001, = 0.712), the resourcefulness score was higher ( = 164.940, < 0.001, = 0.743) and the fatigue score was lower ( = 205.589, < 0.001, = 0.783) in the intervention group than in the control group. However, no statistically significant difference was observed in the cognitive fatigue dimension between the two groups ( = 0.132).

[CONCLUSION] Compared with conventional care, resourcefulness training can reduce physical and emotional fatigue levels in patients undergoing chemotherapy for colorectal cancer, decrease the fear of disease progression, and improve patients' resourcefulness. It is suitable for colorectal cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. However, the effectiveness in improving cognitive fatigue remains unclear.