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Journal ArticleDOI

Group support for patients with metastatic cancer. A randomized outcome study.

01 May 1981-Archives of General Psychiatry (American Medical Association)-Vol. 38, Iss: 5, pp 527-533
TL;DR: Objective evidence is provided that a supportive group intervention for patients with metastatic cancer results in psychological benefit and mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of this group intervention are explored.
Abstract: • The effects of weekly supportive group meetings for women with metastatic carcinoma of the breast were systematically evaluated in a one-year, randomized, prospective outcome study. The groups focused on the problems of terminal illness, including improving relationships with family, friends, and physicians and living as fully as possible in the face of death. We hypothesized that this intervention would lead to improved mood, coping strategies, and self-esteem among those in the treatment group. Eighty-six patients were tested at four-month intervals. The treatment group had significantly lower mooddisturbance scores on the Profile of Mood States scale, had fewer maladaptive coping responses, and were less phobic than the control group. This study provides objective evidence that a supportive group intervention for patients with metastatic cancer results in psychological benefit. Mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of this group intervention are explored.
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TL;DR: Several randomized controlled trials have shown that hypnotic techniques are effective in reducing pain, anxiety, and other symptoms; in reducing procedure time; and in stabilizing vital signs.
Abstract: Novel advances in biotechnology and medical imaging techniques have enabled an evolution toward earlier diagnosis and treatment by way of "minimally invasive" surgical techniques performed on the conscious patient without the use of general anesthesia. Although the risks of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions have been reduced with these approaches, patients still face many physical and psychologic challenges. Several randomized controlled trials have shown that hypnotic techniques are effective in reducing pain, anxiety, and other symptoms; in reducing procedure time; and in stabilizing vital signs. The benefits of adjunctive hypnotic treatments come at no additional cost. Patients, health care providers, hospitals, and insurance companies are advised to take advantage of hypnotic techniques.

13 citations


Cites background from "Group support for patients with met..."

  • ...After the cancer diagnosis, support groups that include expressive supportive therapy with hypnosis sessions can provide considerable help [48]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The POMS was the most responsive questionnaire to change due to SEGT and questionnaires measuring psychosocial attributes were responsive to improvement in mood.
Abstract: To compare the responsiveness of six questionnaires using three hypotheses of change: (i) change due to supportive-expressive group therapy (SEGT), (ii) improved mood defined as a small effect size (.2) on Profile of Mood States (POMS) Total Mood Disturbance score and (iii) progression of disease. Data from the “Breast Expressive-Supportive Therapy” study, a multicentre randomized controlled trial of change due to SEGT versus standard of care in women with metastatic breast cancer were used. Questionnaires studied were: POMS, Impact of Event Scale, Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS), EORTC QLQ-C30, Mental Adjustment to Cancer and a Pain visual analog scale (VAS). Responsiveness to change was evaluated using the standardized response mean. POMS was used as the standard. POMS was the most responsive questionnaire to change due to SEGT. Questionnaires measuring psychosocial attributes were responsive to improvement in mood. EORTC QLQ-C30, PAIS, PAIN VAS and MAC were the most responsive to disease progression. More responsive questionnaires were associated with the smallest sample size required to detect an effect. Responsiveness to change is context specific. The POMS was the most responsive questionnaire to psychosocial therapy.

13 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Recommendations were made as a result of the research and a number of initiatives undertaken, including a local directory of community resources and a forum where representatives from the local support groups can meet with hospital staff.

13 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A clinically derived system of judging cancer patients' engagement, reality testing and degree of arousal during a pretreatment consultation was found predictive of psychosocial problems or no problems reported by sixty cancer patients one month after starting radiation therapy.
Abstract: A clinically derived system of judging cancer patients' engagement, reality testing and degree of arousal during a pretreatment consultation was found predictive of psychosocial problems or no problems reported by sixty cancer patients one month after starting radiation therapy. Independent ratings of psychosocial problems by the treating oncologists, nurses and radiation therapists three months after starting treatment were also found significantly associated with the pretreatment composite.Disease, treatment and demographic factors were not predictive of psychosocial problems and were not associated with the pretreatment clinical composite.Follow-up observations at six months and eighteen to twenty-four months of forty-four and twenty-four of the original patients available for study revealed there was no continuing association between their pretreatment clinical composites and psychosocial problem ratings.

13 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Post-myocardial infarction patients participating in a 12-session group therapy program completed self-rating measures ranking group process variables before and after therapy, finding positive qualities, experimenting with new behavior, and gaining cognitive insight by learning how their lifestyle plays a role in the development and management of their coronary condition were most valued.

13 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of reward or reinforcement on preceding behavior depend in part on whether the person perceives the reward as contingent on his own behavior or independent of it, and individuals may also differ in generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement.
Abstract: The effects of reward or reinforcement on preceding behavior depend in part on whether the person perceives the reward as contingent on his own behavior or independent of it. Acquisition and performance differ in situations perceived as determined by skill versus chance. Persons may also differ in generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. This report summarizes several experiments which define group differences in behavior when Ss perceive reinforcement as contingent on their behavior versus chance or experimenter control. The report also describes the development of tests of individual differences in a generalized belief in internal-external control and provides reliability, discriminant validity and normative data for 1 test, along with a description of the results of several studies of construct validity.

21,451 citations

Book
01 Jan 1969
TL;DR: In this article, the implications of terminal illness for patients and for those involved in their care were discussed, and patients invited to talk about their experience found great relief in expressing their fear and anger and were able to move towards a state of acceptance and peace.
Abstract: Although most areas of human experience are nowadays discussed freely and openly, the subject of death is still surrounded by conventional attitudes and reticence that offer only fragile comfort because they evade the real issues. The dying may thus be denied the opportunity of sharing their feelings and discussing their needs with family, friends, or hospital staff. Although receiving devoted medical care, a dying patient is often socially isolated and avoided, since professional staff and students can find contact painful and embarrasing. Aware of the strains imposed on all sides by this situation, Dr Kubler-Ross established a seminar at the University of Chicago to consider the implications of terminal illness for patients and for those involved in their care. Patients invited to talk about their experience often found great relief in expressing their fear and anger and were able to move towards a state of acceptance and peace. The seminar, initially composed of students of medicine, sociology, psychology, and theology, but later joined by hospital staff and relatives of patients, enabled many members to come to terms with their own feelings and to respond constructi to what the patients had to teach them.

5,220 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A study of 800 outpatient visits to Children's Hospital of Los Angeles as discussed by the authors explored the effect of verbal interaction between doctor and patient on patient satisfaction and follow-through on follow-up.
Abstract: Study of 800 outpatient visits to Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles to explore the effect of the verbal interaction between doctor and patient on patient satisfaction and follow-through on...

947 citations

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