Breast Cancer, Breast Neoplasms
Conditions
Keywords
psychological intervention, breast cancer, supportive-expressive group therapy, emotion regulation, social support, attachment, quality of life
Brief summary
To test the feasibility of supportive-expressive group intervention (SEGT) for women with primary breast cancer and to provide a preliminary test of its efficacy.
Detailed description
This study aims to compare the efficacy of a 16-sessions group intervention (Supportive-Expressive group therapy) versus control group (no intervention) in women with primary breast cancer. This study tries to evaluate the efficacy of SEGT on breast cancer patients' emotion regulation, social support, caregiving, and marital satisfaction, and its improvement on breast cancer patients' life quality. This study also intents to explore the moderating role of attachment on these associations.
Interventions
The supportive-expressive group therapy (SEGT) is an intervention for women with BC that is designed to build bonds and to facilitate changes in emotional expression and regulation taking into account the role that emotions play in physiologic function, intimately related to the progression of the disease. It is based on seven main themes: building bonds, expressing feelings, detoxifying dying, reordering life priorities, improve support from and communication with family and friends, fortifying families, dealing with doctors, and control pain and anxiety. Although originally developed according to an existential perspective, recently the supportive-expressive group therapy has been used according to an attachment framework.
Sponsors
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho
Centro Hospitalar De São João, E.P.E.
Mama Help - Support Centre for Breast Cancer Patients
Universidade do Porto
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
30 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* diagnosis of primary breast cancer
Exclusion criteria
* attendance at a cancer support group or individual psychotherapy * diagnosis of recurrent breast cancer * severe psychiatric disorder * history of drug or alcohol abuse
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in quality of life across time | T0 - before the intervention; T1 - 2 months later; T2 - 4 months later; T3 - 10 months later | The World Health Organization Quality of Life - BREF |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in caregiving across time | T0 - before the intervention; T1 - 2 months later; T2 - 4 months later; T3 - 10 months later | The Caregiving Questionnaire |
| Change in emotion suppression across time | T0 - before the intervention; T1 - 2 months later; T2 - 4 months later; T3 - 10 months later | The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire |
| Change in emotional self-efficacy across time | T0 - before the intervention; T1 - 2 months later; T2 - 4 months later; T3 - 10 months later | The Stanford Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale-Cancer |
| Change in social support across time | T0 - before the intervention; T1 - 2 months later; T2 - 4 months later; T3 - 10 months later | The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support |
| Change in marital relationship across time | T0 - before the intervention; T1 - 2 months later; T2 - 4 months later; T3 - 10 months later | Relationship Assessment Scale |
| Change in cognitive emotion across time | T0 - before the intervention; T1 - 2 months later; T2 - 4 months later; T3 - 10 months later | The Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in group climate across time | T1 - 2 months later; T2 - 4 months later; T3 - 10 months later | The Group Climate Questionnaire |
Countries
Portugal
Outcome results
None listed