Objective: Among the most prevalent and distressing concerns endorsed by breast cancer survivors is fear of cancer recurrence (FOR), and one of the most salient facets is the worry that a recurrence ...of cancer could cause one's death. The primary goal of the present study was to test the effects of a brief, low-cost gratitude intervention on overall FOR and death-related FOR, positing pursuit of meaningful goals as a theoretically driven putative mediator. To replicate published tests of similar gratitude-eliciting interventions, positive affect (PA) was also considered as an outcome. Method: Sixty-seven women with early stage breast cancer were randomly assigned to either a 6-week online gratitude intervention or a 6-week online control condition. Outcomes were assessed at pre- and posttreatment, as well as 1 month and 3 months after the end of treatment. The mediator, meaningful goal pursuit, was measured via assessments over the 6-week intervention period. Results: Results revealed that patients in the gratitude intervention experienced a significant decrease in death-related FOR compared to the control condition. Moreover, this effect was significantly mediated by meaningful goal pursuit (and not by PA). The gratitude intervention was also found to prevent declines in PA observed in the control condition. Conclusions: Overall, findings support the notion that a brief gratitude intervention can promote well-being and psychological adaptation to cancer by stimulating the pursuit of meaningful goals and subsequently reducing death-related FOR.
Full text
Available for:
CEKLJ, FFLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PEFLJ, UPUK
Positive psychology approaches (PPAs) to interventions focus on developing positive cognitions, emotions, and behavior. Benefits of these interventions may be compounded when delivered to ...interdependent dyads. However, dyadic interventions involving PPAs are relatively new in the cancer context. This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of the available research evidence for use of dyadic PPA-based interventions in cancer and identify gaps in this literature.
Following PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a scoping review of intervention studies that included PPAs delivered to both members of an adult dyad including a cancer patient and support person (e.g., family caregiver, intimate partner).
Forty-eight studies, including 39 primary analyses and 28 unique interventions, were included. Most often (53.8%), the support person in the dyad was broadly defined as a "caregiver"; the most frequent specifically-defined role was spouse (41.0%). PPAs (e.g., meaning making) were often paired with other intervention components (e.g., education). Outcomes were mostly individual well-being or dyadic coping/adjustment.
Wide variability exists in PPA type/function and their targeted outcomes. More work is needed to refine the definition/terminology and understand specific mechanisms of positive psychology approaches.
There are increasing numbers of cancer patients with brain metastases, and there is a high potential for caregiving burden. Little work has explored caregiving responsibilities and psychosocial ...well-being in informal family caregivers (FCGs) of cancer patients with brain metastases. This study aimed to address this gap in the literature.
Data were drawn from baseline pilot study data. Caregivers completed demographic information and provided a self-report of their caring responsibilities and psychosocial well-being via questionnaire.
Participants were 21 FCGs of patients with brain metastases. Many caregivers are devoting extensive time to providing care; there was high variability in the number and types of caregiving activities reported. Although many caregivers report feeling well supported, other aspects of psychosocial well-being were less robust, including anxiety, depression, burden, and coping self-efficacy.
Although FCGs reported mitigating factors such as social support, they still experience significant distress. Findings support previous work suggesting that neuro-oncology caregiving is burdensome, with adverse effects on health and well-being. Foundational work, such as this, will set the stage to identify areas for future intervention.
CONTEXT The prevalence of severe obesity is increasing markedly, as is prevalence of comorbid conditions such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus; however, apart from bariatric surgery and ...pharmacotherapy, few clinical trials have evaluated the treatment of severe obesity. OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy of a weight loss and physical activity intervention on the adverse health risks of severe obesity. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Single-blind randomized trial conducted from February 2007 through April 2010 at the University of Pittsburgh. Participants were 130 (37% African American) severely obese (class II or III) adult participants without diabetes recruited from the community. INTERVENTIONS One-year intensive lifestyle intervention consisting of diet and physical activity. One group (initial physical activity) was randomized to diet and physical activity for the entire 12 months; the other group (delayed physical activity) had the identical dietary intervention but with physical activity delayed for 6 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Changes in weight. Secondary outcomes were additional components comprising cardiometabolic risk, including waist circumference, abdominal adipose tissue, and hepatic fat content. RESULTS Of 130 participants randomized, 101 (78%) completed the 12-month follow-up assessments. Although both intervention groups lost a significant amount of weight at 6 months, the initial-activity group lost significantly more weight in the first 6 months compared with the delayed-activity group (10.9 kg 95% confidence interval {CI}, 9.1-12.7 vs 8.2 kg 95% CI, 6.4-9.9, P = .02 for group × time interaction). Weight loss at 12 months, however, was similar in the 2 groups (12.1 kg 95% CI, 10.0-14.2 vs 9.9 kg 95% CI, 8.0-11.7, P = .25 for group × time interaction). Waist circumference, visceral abdominal fat, hepatic fat content, blood pressure, and insulin resistance were all reduced in both groups. The addition of physical activity promoted greater reductions in waist circumference and hepatic fat content. CONCLUSION Among patients with severe obesity, a lifestyle intervention involving diet combined with initial or delayed initiation of physical activity resulted in clinically significant weight loss and favorable changes in cardiometabolic risk factors. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00712127
Overweight and obesity present significant public health concerns because of the link with numerous chronic health conditions. Excess body weight is a result of an imbalance between energy intake and ...energy expenditure. Physical activity is the most variable component of energy expenditure and therefore has been the target of behavioral interventions to modify body weight. It appears that physical activity is an important component on long-term weight control, and therefore adequate levels of activity should be prescribed to combat the obesity epidemic. Although there is evidence that 30 min of moderate-intensity physical activity may improve health outcomes, the amount of physical activity that may be necessary to control body weight may be >30 min/d. There is a growing body of scientific literature suggesting that at least 60 min of moderate-intensity physical activity may be necessary to maximize weight loss and prevent significant weight regain. Moreover, adequate levels of physical activity appear to be important for the prevention of weight gain and the development of obesity. Physical activity also appears to have an independent effect on health-related outcomes when compared with body weight, suggesting that adequate levels of activity may counteract the negative influence of body weight on health outcomes. Thus, it is important to target intervention strategies to facilitate the adoption and maintenance of an adequate amount of physical activity to control body weight.
Full text
Available for:
CMK, GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Caregiving during advanced cancer presents many physical and psychological challenges, especially for caregivers who are coping with their own history of cancer or their own chronic health ...conditions. There is growing recognition that caregiver health and patient health are interdependent.
The objective of this study was to use quantitative and interview data to examine and explore the impact of a caregiver's personal cancer history and chronic health conditions on the psychosocial well-being of both the caregiver and patient.
This was a secondary analysis of data from 88 patients with advanced lung/gastrointestinal cancer and their spouse-caregivers. Participants self-reported subjective health, chronic health conditions (including cancer), anxiety and depression symptoms, and social support and social stress. Caregivers self-reported caregiving burden and preparedness for caregiving. Caregivers also completed semistructured interviews.
Participants were mostly white, non-Hispanic, and in their mid-60s. Caregivers reported 1.40 (SD = 1.14) chronic conditions on average; 11 reported a personal history of cancer (“survivor-caregivers”). The number of caregiver chronic health conditions was positively associated with patient depression symptoms. Patients of survivor-caregivers also reported more depression symptoms than patients of caregivers without cancer (t(85) = −2.35, P = 0.021). Survivor-caregivers reported higher preparedness for caregiving than caregivers without cancer (t(85) = −2.48, P = 0.015). Interview data enriched quantitative findings and identified factors that may drive patient depression, including emotions such as resentment or guilt. Experiencing cancer personally may provide caregivers unique insight into the patient experience.
Providers should be aware of caregiver chronic conditions and cancer history, given the potential negative effects on patient psychosocial well-being.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Abstract
Background
Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a top ongoing concern of breast cancer (BC) survivors and thus the focus of recent intervention development. The Self-Regulation Model of FCR ...(Lee-Jones C, Humphris G, Dixon R, Hatcher MB. Fear of cancer recurrence–a literature review and proposed cognitive formulation to explain exacerbation of recurrence fears. Psychooncology. 1997;6:95–105.) states that everyday cancer-related events trigger FCR, which, in turn, leads to specific behavioral responses, including checking the body for signs or symptoms of cancer. Links between triggering events, FCR, and checking behavior have not yet been studied in the context of daily life or at the within-person level.
Purpose
The goal of this study was to examine whether FCR has a within-person link with daily checking behavior and whether FCR mediates the link between triggering events and checking behavior.
Methods
Seventy-two early-stage BC survivors completed daily diaries over a 21-day period approximately 5 months after BC surgery. FCR, checking behavior, and triggering events were assessed each evening.
Results
Multilevel modeling results indicated that FCR predicted greater odds of same-day, but not next-day, checking behavior. We found that daily FCR significantly mediated the same-day effect of triggering events on checking behavior. These average within-person effects varied substantially between patients and were not explained by momentary negative affect.
Conclusions
Findings support the within-person relationship between triggering events, FCR, and checking behavior posited by guiding theory, and can inform FCR intervention development.
On days that breast cancer patients reported more triggering events, they experienced more fear of cancer recurrence, which, in turn, was associated with greater odds of checking the body for signs or symptoms of cancer that same day.
The purpose of this study was to compare a technology‐based system, an in‐person behavioral weight loss intervention, and a combination of both over a 6‐month period in overweight adults. Fifty‐one ...subjects (age: 44.2 ± 8.7 years, BMI: 33.7 ± 3.6 kg/m2) participated in a 6‐month behavioral weight loss program and were randomized to one of three groups: standard behavioral weight loss (SBWL), SBWL plus technology‐based system (SBWL+TECH), or technology‐based system only (TECH). All groups reduced caloric intake and progressively increased moderate intensity physical activity. SBWL and SBWL+TECH attended weekly meetings. SBWL+TECH also received a TECH that included an energy monitoring armband and website to monitor energy intake and expenditure. TECH used the technology system and received monthly telephone calls. Body weight and physical activity were assessed at 0 and 6 months. Retention at 6 months was significantly different (P = 0.005) between groups (SBWL: 53%, SBWL+TECH: 100%, and TECH: 77%). Intent‐to‐treat (ITT) analysis revealed significant weight losses at 6 months in SBWL+TECH (−8.8 ± 5.0 kg, −8.7 ± 4.7%), SBWL (−3.7 ± 5.7 kg, −4.1 ± 6.3%), and TECH (−5.8 ± 6.6 kg, −6.3 ± 7.1%) (P < 0.001). Self‐report physical activity increased significantly in SBWL (473.9 ± 800.7 kcal/week), SBWL+TECH (713.9 ± 1,278.8 kcal/week), and TECH (1,066.2 ± 1,371 kcal/week) (P < 0.001), with no differences between groups (P = 0.25). The TECH used in conjunction with monthly telephone calls, produced similar, if not greater weight losses and changes in physical activity than the standard in‐person behavioral program at 6 months. The use of this technology may provide an effective short‐term clinical alternative to standard in‐person behavioral weight loss interventions, with the longer term effects warranting investigation.
Full text
Available for:
FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions in cancer care, and preliminary research suggests that these disruptions are associated with increased levels of psychosocial distress among ...cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to offer a descriptive report of the psychosocial functioning, perceived risk and fear of cancer progression, and COVID-19 pandemic impact and experiences in a unique, high-risk patient cohort: breast cancer survivors whose cancer treatment was delayed and/or changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This cross-sectional study included 50 women with dual carcinoma
, lobular carcinoma
, or invasive breast cancer whose cancer surgery was postponed due to the pandemic. As they awaited delayed surgery or shortly after they received delayed surgery, participants completed questionnaires on psychosocial functioning (depression, anxiety, sleep, and quality of life), their perceived risk and fear of cancer progression, patient-provider communication about disruptions in their care, personal impact of the pandemic, worry/threat about COVID-19, and COVID-19 symptoms/diagnoses. Descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations were computed among continuous study variables. Independent samples
-tests explored group differences in psychosocial functioning between survivors who were still awaiting delayed surgery and those who had recently received it.
Overall, the sample denied that the pandemic seriously negatively impacted their finances or resource access and reported low-to-moderate levels of psychosocial distress and fear about COVID-19. Twenty-six percent had clinically significant levels of fear of cancer progression, with levels comparable to other recent work. About a third were still awaiting delayed cancer surgery and this group reported lower satisfaction with communication from oncology providers but overall did not seem to report more psychosocial difficulties than those who already had surgery.
Shortly before or after primary breast cancer surgery that was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this sample of survivors appears to be generally managing well psychosocially. However, many psychosocial difficulties (e.g., fear of cancer recurrence/progression) typically have an onset after the completion of treatment, therefore, research should continue to follow this cohort of cancer survivors as the pandemic's direct impact on their care likely increases their risk for these difficulties later in survivorship.
PDF
