Enhancing Coping Skills in Patients With Cancer

Enhancing Coping Skills in Patients With Cancer - a Randomized Controlled Study

• Approximately 30% of all patients with cancer report levels of psychological distress indicative of the need for psychological intervention.
• Research suggests that learning more adaptive coping strategies improves psychological adjustment to cancer.
• It is imperative to develop cost-efficient, feasible psychosocial interventions.
• The aim is to test the efficacy of the self administered format of a psycho-educational intervention (NUCARE) in reducing distress and enhancing adaptive coping strategies for cancer patients.

It is hypothesized that:

• patients would show significant reductions in distress (i.e., depression and anxiety) over the 6-week treatment period, and that treatment would produce superior results compared to wait-list; patients would maintain or even increase their improvement up to 3 months following treatment.
• the treatment would enhance more adaptive coping strategies.
• greater self-reported adherence to the treatment/homework would be associated with symptom improvement, more autonomous self-regulation and higher perceived competence for adhering to the coping intervention program.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18+ years of age,
• able to read English,
• a cancer patient presenting at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) interested in participating,
• willing to receive minimal therapist contact (by telephone) and self administered therapy,
• able to give their own consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• currently receiving psychological/psychiatric treatment/counselling,
• indicate at the time of recruitment that they intend to seek psychological treatment elsewhere during the study period,
• a history of psychosis or bipolar disorder,
• substance abuse/dependence in last 6 months,
• taking psychotropic medication with altering dosages in the past 3 months.