None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Aligned with Malaysia's National Strategic Plan for Cancer Control Programme (2021-2025) and the National Palliative Care Policy and Strategic Plan (2019-2030), this research aims to investigate interventions for chronic pain and psychological wellbeing in breast cancer patients. Breast cancer is the leading cancer among women globally and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Statistics show that 25% to 60% of women undergoing breast cancer treatment report pain. Despite biomedical advancements, unresolved issues persist in understanding the biopsychosocial aspects of breast cancer. The study proposes using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a psychological intervention, A total of forty participants will be randomly assigned to either a treatment group or a control group (standard care). Participants will be recruited based on purposive sampling method. The goal of the study is to assess the effectiveness of the intervention, and a follow-up study will be conducted after 3 months. The intervention's effectiveness will be analyzed using various statistical analysis. It is expected that the research outcomes will facilitate the development of future studies focused on chronic pain, psychological flexibility, and psychological well-being in breast cancer patients with chronic pain.
Interventions
a. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) ACT is a psychotherapy that focuses on enhances psychological flexibility by facilitating acceptance of unpleasant private events and an increase in valued actions, rather than attempting to develop control over unpleasant private events. It consists of six central processes (acceptance, cognitive diffusion, contact with the present moment, self-as-context, values, and committed action) that lead to psychological flexibility. The primary aim of ACT is t
a. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) ACT is a psychotherapy that focuses on enhances psychological flexibility by facilitating acceptance of unpleasant private events and an increase in valued actions, rather than attempting to develop control over unpleasant private events. It consists of six central processes (acceptance, cognitive diffusion, contact with the present moment, self-as-context, values, and committed action) that lead to psychological flexibility. The primary aim of ACT is to improve the functioning status of breast patients with chronic pain. It can be beneficial by helping them develop skills to cope with their pain more effectively. Through ACT, patients can learn to accept the presence of pain without struggling against it, allowing them to focus instead on engaging in activities that are meaningful and fulfilling to them despite the pain. b. A total of 8 group session (each 90 minutes) will be conducted by trained psychotherapist with at least three years of experience in ACT. A maximum of 10 participant will be in 1 group The therapy will be conducted at University Kebangsaan Malaysia. c. Session attendance checklists will be used to monitor adherence to the intervention: d. The topic of session include; Session 1: Introduction for the intervention and approach. Session 2: Extraction of avoidance experience, mixing and individual values. Session 3: Exploration of life values Session 4: Identifying goals Session 5: Cognitive restructuring Session 6: Action planned Session 7: Mindfulness Session 8: Termination
Sponsors
University of Cyberjaya
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Primary purpose
Treatment
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. Participants must be able to read and write. 2. Participants diagnose with breast cancer (stage 2/3) or who are at least after 6 months post-diagnosis. 3. Participants who have been experiencing pain for more than 3 months. 4. Participants must be 18 years old and above.
Exclusion criteria
1. Individuals who are formally diagnosed with mental disorders or are under psychotropic medication. 2. Patient unable to give consent, i.e. due to mental or disease issues (metastatic spread to the brain, etc.)
Outcome results
None listed