TY - JOUR
T1 - Beating the blues after Cancer
T2 - Randomised controlled trial of a tele-based psychological intervention for high distress patients and carers
AU - Chambers, Suzanne K.
AU - Girgis, Afaf
AU - Occhipinti, Stefano
AU - Hutchison, Sandy
AU - Turner, Jane
AU - Carter, Rob
AU - Dunn, Jeff
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded by Cancer Australia and beyondblue. SKC is supported by an NHMRC Fellowship. We gratefully acknowledge the support of Megan Dwyer as a consumer advisor; Brigid Hanley and Paula Valentine as helpline advisors; and Bronwyn Morris and Helen Philips for project management.
PY - 2009/6/17
Y1 - 2009/6/17
N2 - Background: The diagnosis and treatment of cancer is a major life stress such that approximately 35% of patients experience persistent clinically significant distress and carers often experience even higher distress than patients. This paper presents the design of a two arm randomised controlled trial with patients and carers who have elevated psychological distress comparing minimal contact self management vs. an individualised tele-based cognitive behavioural intervention. Methods/design: 140 patients and 140 carers per condition (560 participants in total) will been recruited after being identified as high distress through caller screening at two community-based cancer helplines and randomised to 1) a single 30-minute telephone support and education session with a nurse counsellor with self management materials 2) a tele-based psychologist delivered five session individualised cognitive behavioural intervention. Session components will include stress reduction, problem-solving, cognitive challenging and enhancing relationship support and will be delivered weekly. Participants will be assessed at baseline and 3, 6 and 12 months after recruitment. Outcome measures include: anxiety and depression, cancer specific distress, unmet psychological supportive care needs, positive adjustment, overall Quality of life. Discussion: The study will provide recommendations about the efficacy and potential economic value of minimal contact self management vs. tele-based psychologist delivered cognitive behavioural intervention to facilitate better psychosocial adjustment and mental health for people with cancer and their carers.
AB - Background: The diagnosis and treatment of cancer is a major life stress such that approximately 35% of patients experience persistent clinically significant distress and carers often experience even higher distress than patients. This paper presents the design of a two arm randomised controlled trial with patients and carers who have elevated psychological distress comparing minimal contact self management vs. an individualised tele-based cognitive behavioural intervention. Methods/design: 140 patients and 140 carers per condition (560 participants in total) will been recruited after being identified as high distress through caller screening at two community-based cancer helplines and randomised to 1) a single 30-minute telephone support and education session with a nurse counsellor with self management materials 2) a tele-based psychologist delivered five session individualised cognitive behavioural intervention. Session components will include stress reduction, problem-solving, cognitive challenging and enhancing relationship support and will be delivered weekly. Participants will be assessed at baseline and 3, 6 and 12 months after recruitment. Outcome measures include: anxiety and depression, cancer specific distress, unmet psychological supportive care needs, positive adjustment, overall Quality of life. Discussion: The study will provide recommendations about the efficacy and potential economic value of minimal contact self management vs. tele-based psychologist delivered cognitive behavioural intervention to facilitate better psychosocial adjustment and mental health for people with cancer and their carers.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=67651040520&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/1471-2407-9-189
DO - 10.1186/1471-2407-9-189
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 19531265
AN - SCOPUS:67651040520
SN - 1471-2407
VL - 9
JO - BMC Cancer
JF - BMC Cancer
M1 - 189
ER -