Telephone-delivered health education and interpersonal counseling improve quality of life for Latinas with breast cancer and their supportive partners

• Published in: Psycho-oncology (Chichester, England) Vol. 22; no. 5; pp. 1035 - 1042
• Main Authors: Badger, Terry A., Segrin, Chris, Hepworth, Joseph T., Pasvogel, Alice, Weihs, Karen, Lopez, Ana Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.05.2013; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - ethnology; Breast Neoplasms - psychology; counseling; Counseling - methods; Female; Health education; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic Americans - psychology; Humans; Interventions; Latin American people; Latinas; Male; Middle Aged; Oncology; Patient Education as Topic - methods; Quality of life; Quality of Life - psychology; social support; Spouses - psychology; Telemedicine; Telephone; Telephones; Womens health; United States > US
• ISSN: 1057-9249; 1099-1611
• DOI: 10.1002/pon.3101

Objective This study aims to test two telephone‐delivered interventions for their efficacy in improving quality of life (QOL) (psychological, physical, social, and spiritual) among Latinas with breast cancer and their family members or friends (labeled supportive partners in this study). Methods Latinas with breast cancer and their supportive partners (SPs) were randomly assigned to one of two telephone delivered 8‐week interventions: (i) telephone interpersonal counseling (TIP‐C) or (ii) telephone health education (THE). QOL assessments were made at baseline, immediately after the 8‐week interventions ended, and at an 8‐week follow‐up. Seventy Latinas and their 70 SPs completed all assessments (36 in health education and 34 in counseling) and were included in the final analysis. Results Both Latinas with breast cancer and their SPs had significant improvements in virtually all dimensions of QOL over the 16 weeks of the investigation. However, there was no evidence documenting the superiority of either intervention for improving QOL. Preliminary cost analysis found that the counseling intervention cost about $164.68 for one dyad compared with $107.03 for health education. The majority of participants reported benefit from the intervention and liked that the intervention was in Spanish, included SPs, and was delivered by telephone. Conclusion The results of this study show that relatively brief, culturally appropriate, and highly accessible telephone‐delivered interventions that provide emotional and information support can bring about substantial improvements in QOL for both Latinas with breast cancer and their SPs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.