Breast cancer and gynecological cancer Cancer
Conditions
Interventions
This study involved the comparison of two group intervention approaches to test the effectiveness at reducing fear of cancer recurrence. Upon meeting eligibility criteria that includes scoring a mediu
Sponsors
Canadian Cancer Society (Canada)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
Female
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. First diagnosis of BC or GC with stages I-III 2. Disease-free at the start of the group 3. 18 years or older 4. Completion of treatment, with the exception of adjuvant chemotherapy or hormonal replacement therapy 5. A score of 13 or greater on the severity subscale of the FCRI (range 0-36), suggesting clinical levels of FCR (7) 6. A score of at least 24 on the cancer-specific distress measure, indicating clinical levels of distress (Impact of Events Scale; range 0-75) (52, 53). If a participant develops a recurrence in the course of the study, she will remain in the group but her follow-up data will be excluded from final analysis. Finally, all participants meeting inclusion criteria will take part in a baseline pre-group interview with the group leaders that will detail the general expectations of group work.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Non-English speakers 2. Previous cancer recurrence 3. Enrolled in another group psychotherapy at the time of the start of the study or during the course of the six sessions 4. Unresolved mental health disorder judged to be clinically contra-indicated and/or likely to affect the group work, based on disclosure by the potential participant or clinically identified by the group leader. These individuals will be offered individual mental health services.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Fear of cancer recurrence will be measured using the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory (FCRI) (Simard & Savard, 2009). The FCRI is a 42-item questionnaire that includes a global score as well as seven subscales including triggers, severity, psychological distress, functional impairment, insight, reassurance, and coping strategies. A score of 13 or greater on the nine-item severity subscale (range 0-36) indicates clinical level of FCR (54). | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Cancer-specific distress with the Impact of Event Scale (IES) (Horowitz, Wilner, & Alvarez, 1979); The IES is a 15-item questionnaires that assesses cancer distress. It has two subscales, intrusive thoughts and avoidance, which provide a total score. Perceived risk of cancer recurrence will be assessed using a one-item question where respondents indicate their level of perceived personal risk for a cancer recurrence over the last two days (Bish et al., 2002). 2. Intolerance of uncertainty with be measured with the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS) (Buhr & Dugas, 2002). The IUS is a 27-item four-factor questionnaire that represents uncertainty as stressful and upsetting, uncertainty as leading to the inability to act, uncertain events as being negative and to be avoided, and being uncertain as unfair (Buhr & Dugas, 2002). 3. Uncertainty in Illness will be measured by the Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale (MUIS-C) (Mishel, 1981). The MUIS-C consists of 23 items rated on a five-point Likert scale. Coping will be measured with the following three coping scales: (1) Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire (Sexton & Dugas, 2008), that contains 25 items that measure avoidance coping; (2) the Reassurance-Seeking Behaviours subscale of the Health Anxiety Questionnaire (Lucock & Morley, 1996), that contains three items that pertain to body-checking and reassurance-seeking from loved ones; and 3) the Reassurance Questionnaire (Speckens, Spinhoven, Van Hemert, & Bolk, 2000), that contains 10 items that measure reassurance-seeking from physicians. 4. Quality of life will be measured with the SF-8 instrument (Ware, Kosinski, Dewey, & Gandek, 2001). The SF-8 is a health-related QoL measure that provides an assessment of general physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) health with a 4-week recall period.. Additional variables to control: 1. As group cohesion may influence the impact of our CE group intervention, we will measure this construct at the end of the 6-week intervention f | — |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed