A Pilot Study of an Intervention for Breast Cancer Survivors and Their Spouses

Recent studies have shown that interventions that increase breast cancer patients' communication with family members lead to reduced patient distress. In this article, we report on a treatment development and pilot study of an intervention for couples coping with breast cancer. In phase 1 of th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Family process 2004-03, Vol.43 (1), p.95-107
Main Authors: Shields, Cleveland G., Rousseau, Sally J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Breast Cancer
Breast Neoplasms - psychology
Coping
Couples
Crisis intervention
Depression - etiology
Depression - therapy
Family - psychology
Family Relations
Family Therapy - methods
Female
Humans
Male
Marital psychotherapy
Medical sciences
Mental Health
Middle Aged
Pilot Projects
Psychological Distress
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychotherapies. Psychological and clinical counseling
Spouses
Spouses - psychology
Survivalists
Survivors - psychology
Treatment Methods
Treatments
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Summary:Recent studies have shown that interventions that increase breast cancer patients' communication with family members lead to reduced patient distress. In this article, we report on a treatment development and pilot study of an intervention for couples coping with breast cancer. In phase 1 of this study, 10 couples participated in two focus groups that generated ideas and themes for the intervention. In phase 2, we developed and pilot tested our intervention with 48 couples: 12 in a 2‐session format, 21 in a 1‐session format, and 15 in a non‐experimental control group. Our response rate shows that breast cancer patients and spouses were willing to participate and that treatment providers were willing to refer patients and their spouses. The 2‐session format showed the most promise for producing positive change in mental health functioning and cancer‐related stress.
ISSN:0014-7370
1545-5300
DOI:10.1111/j.1545-5300.2004.04301008.x