Post-Traumatic Growth and Counselling Needs of Cancer Survivors Attending Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Benue State

Post-traumatic growth represents an important but underinvestigated outcome in cancer survivorship literature within the Nigerian health context, where counselling services for oncology patients are systematically underdeveloped. This study examined post-traumatic growth and the counselling needs of cancer survivors attending the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Benue State, North Central Nigeria. A descriptive mixed-methods design was used, with 120 cancer survivors selected through purposive sampling. The Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) and a researcher-constructed Counselling Needs Assessment Tool were administered, complemented by in-depth interviews with 20 participants. Quantitative data were analysed using means and regression, while interview data were analysed thematically. Findings revealed that most survivors had experienced some degree of post-traumatic growth, particularly in the domains of personal strength and appreciation for life. However, identified counselling needs in areas of existential meaning-making, relationship adjustment, and financial survival planning were substantially unmet. Oncology nurses rather than trained counsellors were the primary source of psychosocial support. Post-traumatic growth was positively associated with access to social support and spiritual coping. The study recommended the deployment of trained oncological counsellors within the Federal Medical Centre and the development of a survivorship counselling programme addressing the full range of survivors' psychosocial needs. Keywords: post-traumatic growth, cancer survivors, counselling needs, Federal Medical Centre, Benue State.