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: A systematic critical review of the relevant literature concludes that an adequately powered study examining effects of psychotherapy on survival after a diagnosis of cancer would require resources that are not justified by the strength of the available evidence.
Abstract: Despite contradictory findings, the belief that psychotherapy promotes survival in people who have been diagnosed with cancer has persisted since the seminal study by D. Spiegel, J. R. Bloom, H. C. Kramer, and E. Gottheil (1989). The current authors provide a systematic critical review of the relevant literature. In doing so, they introduce some considerations in the design, interpretation of results, and reporting of clinical trials that have not been sufficiently appreciated in the behavioral sciences. They note endemic problems in this literature. No randomized clinical trial designed with survival as a primary endpoint and in which psychotherapy was not confounded with medical care has yielded a positive effect. Among the implications of the review is that an adequately powered study examining effects of psychotherapy on survival after a diagnosis of cancer would require resources that are not justified by the strength of the available evidence.
147 citations
Cites background or result from "Group support for patients with met..."
...…studies that used the same measure— the Profile of Mood States (POMS)—Edwards et al. had to contend with long versus short versions of the scale, varying timing of assessments, and seemingly conflicting results for very similar interventions (i.e., Goodwin et al., 2001; Spiegel et al., 1981)....
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...The study was originally designed to examine the effect of group psychotherapy on psychosocial outcomes (Spiegel et al., 1981)....
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...Thus, Spiegel et al. (1981) and Goodwin et al. (2004) obtained complete assessments from only 52% and 62% of participants, respectively, and Fawzy et al. (1993) collected psychological functioning data for a greater proportion of intervention than control patients....
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TL;DR: Gaps exist in knowledge of fatigue and further research is needed to support the NCCN Practice Guidelines for fatigue; however, there is a developing body of knowledge and consensus of clinicians regarding the management of fatigue in cancer patients.
Abstract: Fatigue has been described as the most common, most debilitating side effect of cancer treatment and is frequently reported as a long-term complication of treatment as well. Despite the prevalence of fatigue and its profoundly negative effect on patients' quality of life, little is known about the specific mechanisms that underlie fatigue in cancer patients or how to prevent it and treat it effectively. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Fatigue Practice Guidelines Panel has reviewed the available evidence and the consensus of practitioners regarding the management of fatigue and has developed clinical practice guidelines. These guidelines are presented in this article, with a discussion of levels of evidence for interventions recommended by the guidelines. Gaps exist in our knowledge of fatigue and further research is needed to support the NCCN Practice Guidelines for fatigue; however, there is a developing body of knowledge and consensus of clinicians regarding the management of fatigue in cancer patients. Additional research directed toward the knowledge gaps would strengthen the Practice Guidelines.
147 citations
TL;DR: Coping behaviors of people with AIDS were examined, using a large sample that was both geographically and sociodemographically diverse and revealed that Respondents with a history of injected drug use, as compared with gay or bisexual men, had higher scores for Avoidance Coping and lower scores for Positive Coping.
Abstract: This study examined coping behaviors of people with AIDS, using a large sample (N = 736) that was both geographically and sociodemographically diverse. In-person interviews were conducted with people receiving AIDS-related medical or social services; follow-up interviews were conducted approximately 11 months later. Factor analyses of 16 coping behaviors revealed three factors: Positive Coping, Seeking Social Support, and Avoidance Coping. Respondents with a history of injected drug use, as compared with gay or bisexual men, had higher scores for Avoidance Coping and lower scores for Positive Coping. Each coping scale was significantly related to depressive symptoms in cross-sectional analyses. In longitudinal analyses that controlled for prior depressive symptoms, Positive Coping was significantly related to decreases in symptoms.
146 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that age is a salient factor to consider in the psychological adjustment of women with breast cancer near the time of initial diagnosis, with younger women exhibiting greater affective distress and a tendency to engage in less adaptive ways of coping, however, younger and older women do not differ in their adjustment over the subsequent course of their treatment and initial recovery.
Abstract: Women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are at high risk for experiencing affective distress; however, previous research suggests that older women may be less likely than younger women to experience extreme distress. Two issues remain unclear regarding age and affective distress: (a) the psychological processes that account for the association of age and distress, and (b) whether this association remains stable over the course of treatment and recovery from breast cancer. This study investigated symptoms of anxiety and depression in 80 women ages 36-80 years old with newly diagnosed breast cancer near the time of their diagnosis and at 3 and 6 months post-diagnosis. Disease severity and coping style were also examined. Symptoms of anxiety/depression and age were negatively correlated near the time of diagnosis. Path analysis controlling for disease severity revealed that coping involving the ventilation of emotion fully mediated the effect of age on symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, the association of age with symptoms of anxiety/depression was no longer significant at 3 and 6 months post-diagnosis, although emotional ventilation still predicted greater emotional distress at 6 months. These findings suggest that age is a salient factor to consider in the psychological adjustment of women with breast cancer near the time of initial diagnosis, with younger women exhibiting greater affective distress and a tendency to engage in less adaptive ways of coping. However, younger and older women do not differ in their adjustment over the subsequent course of their treatment and initial recovery. The use of emotional ventilation coping remains associated with poorer adjustment, independent of patients' age.
146 citations
TL;DR: The available evidence is reviewed, gaps in knowledge are described, and recommendations for future research on interventions for cancer-related fatigue are presented.
Abstract: Despite the high prevalence of cancer-related fatigue and its documented negative effects on patients' quality of life, limited evidence is available to support interventions to prevent or treat cancer-related fatigue. Both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions have been tested, with aerobic exercise programs and anemia correction by erythropoietin demonstrating greatest effectiveness. This article reviews the available evidence and describes gaps in knowledge. Recommendations for future research on interventions for cancer-related fatigue are presented.
145 citations
References
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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
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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
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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