Randomized controlled trial of supportive care interventions to manage psychological distress and symptoms in Latinas with breast cancer and their informal caregivers

• Published in: Psychology & health Vol. 35; no. 1; pp. 87 - 106
• Main Authors: Badger, Terry A., Segrin, Chris, Sikorskii, Alla, Pasvogel, Alice, Weihs, Karen, Lopez, Ana Maria, Chalasani, Pavani
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Routledge 02.01.2020; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Anxiety - ethnology; Anxiety - prevention & control; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - ethnology; Breast Neoplasms - psychology; caregiver; Caregivers; Caregivers - psychology; Caregivers - statistics & numerical data; Counseling - methods; Depression - ethnology; Depression - prevention & control; distress; Female; Hispanic Americans - psychology; Hispanic Americans - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Latina; Patient Education as Topic; Psychological Distress; psychosocial; Quality of Life; Telephone; treatment; Treatment Outcome; Latina; distress; treatment; breast cancer; psychosocial; caregiver
• ISSN: 0887-0446; 1476-8321
• DOI: 10.1080/08870446.2019.1626395

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test two 2-month psychosocial interventions (Telephone Interpersonal Counseling [TIPC] and Supportive Health Education [SHE]) to improve quality of life (QOL) outcomes for Latinas with breast cancer and their informal caregivers. Methods: Two hundred and forty-one Latinas with breast cancer and their caregivers were assessed at baseline, immediately after the 2-month intervention, at 4 and 6 months after baseline. QOL outcomes were psychological distress, symptoms and social support. Results: Linear mixed effects models showed that for cancer survivors at 2 months, TIPC produced lower adjusted mean depression scores compared to SHE. At 4 months, SHE had reduced total number of symptoms, global symptom distress, and social isolation compared to TIPC. Only total number of symptoms was lower in SHE than in TIPC at 6 months. Among caregivers at 2 months, total number of symptoms, global symptom distress, and anxiety were lower, and self-efficacy for symptom management was higher in SHE compared to TIPC. Caregiver depression was lower in TIPC compared to SHE at 4 months. Conclusions: These telephone delivered interventions improved different outcomes. TIPC demonstrated superior benefits for depression management and SHE was more successful in anxiety and cancer-related symptom management.