Advanced Cancer, Family Caregivers
Conditions
Keywords
Stress Management, Resilience
Brief summary
This study examines Stress Management and Resilience Training (SMART) for family caregivers (FCG) of patients receiving chemotherapy for advanced cancer to potentially help with the stressful aspects of providing care. All participants will receive the SMART intervention.
Detailed description
FCGs experience stress and extensive demands in providing care for those with head and neck cancer. Teaching the principles of mindfulness and compassion to FCGs has the potential to protect their psychological health and well-being. This may allow them to provide effective, compassionate care to patients, which ultimately puts the needs of the patient first. Mindfulness interventions have demonstrated decreased stress and anxiety, and improved self-compassion for individuals, but entail numerous sessions over several weeks, a barrier for caregivers. The SMART program, a brief mindfulness program, has demonstrated improvements in resilience, anxiety, perceived stress, and mindfulness for healthcare providers and patients.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALSMART intervention
All participants will attend a 90-minute SMART small group session. This session provides education on the stress response and the principles of gratitude, compassion, mindful presence, and resilient mindset. In addition to the class, there will be follow-up online and written resources.
Sponsors
Mayo Clinic
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Primary caregiver of patient with advanced head and neck cancer receiving chemotherapy, living with the patient at least 50% of the time during treatment, able to read and speak English, cognitively intact, able to take SMART class within 2 weeks of enrollment
Exclusion criteria
* Self-identified mental health diagnoses, less than 18 years of age, not living with patient at least 50% of the time, unable to read and speak English
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mean Satisfaction score at 8 weeks | Week 8 | The Was It Worth It (WiWi) questionnaire measures satisfaction in seven questions. The questions are answered as either yes, no, or unsure, overall perception of life change and experience, an open-ended response question, and an option to talk with someone about concerns. Positive responses will indicate acceptability; results reported as individual items. |
| Change in Mean Self Compassion Scale-Short Form Score at 8 weeks | Baseline and Week 8 | The Self Compassion Scale-Short Form will measure self-compassion. This form includes 12 items that are measured on a 4-point scale from never to very often with higher score indicating a higher level of perceived stress; some of these items are scored in reverse. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed