Journal of Psychosocial Oncology最新文献

Objective: This study compared three ethnic/racial groups of informal cancer caregivers on social determinants of health and tested social determinants of health as predictors of psychological distress and caregiver burden.

Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of baseline data of a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) testing symptom management interventions with caregiver-survivor dyads. Caregivers completed baseline measures of social determinants of health (SDoH), functional limitations, psychological distress, and caregiver burden. Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic other races caregivers were compared on these variables. Multivariate tests of associations between SDoH and caregiver burden and psychological distress were conducted in structural equation modeling with caregiver burden and psychological distress as latent variables.

Results: Hispanic caregivers reported significantly higher caregiver burden, specifically for finances, family, and schedules. Caregiver burden was significantly predicted by having income barely or not meeting needs, being female, socially isolated, married, Hispanic, and having poor physical functioning. Significant predictors of caregivers' psychological distress: being female, being socially isolated, and having poor physical functioning.

Conclusion: Hispanic caregivers experience significant challenges associated with caregiver burden, especially if they are female, socially isolated, and have poor physical functioning. Assessment of these SDoH is important in caregiver health to provide supportive care during caregiving.

Clinical trial registration number: NCT03743415 www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Purpose: To describe differences in post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms over time among racial and ethnic minoritized breast cancer survivors (BCS) with comorbid diabetes.

Design: In a multisite longitudinal study, post-traumatic stress was evaluated at baseline, 6 and 12 months through self-reported questionnaires (Impact of Events Scale-Revised [IES-R]).

Participants: One hundred and seventy-eight post-treatment BCS with diabetes were recruited from three tertiary medical centers.

Findings: Relative to non-Hispanic White women, minoritized women reported higher total IES-R scores at all time points. In the adjusted model, Latina women reported persistently higher IES-R total scores and Latina, and 'Other' women reported higher avoidance scores.

Conclusions: Minoritized BCS with comorbid diabetes report higher rates of cancer related PTS that persist over 12 months.

Implications for psychosocial providers: Post diagnosis PTS evaluation and support is important in survivorship and primary care practices. Linkage to socially and culturally sensitive community support may be warranted.

The purpose of this study is to identify links between caregiver hope, caregiver coping behaviors, and caregivers' coaching versus dismissing emotion socialization (ES) beliefs in a pediatric cancer sample.

Self-report measures.

Caregivers (N = 183, 80.20% mothers; 58.5% white; 32.2% Hispanic) of youth undergoing cancer treatment (51.10% hematological malignancy, 15.30% brain or spinal [CNS] tumor, and 25.14% non-CNS solid tumor) for at least six weeks.

We used a series of mediation models to examine links between caregivers' coping behaviors, hope, and ES beliefs.

Caregivers' hope significantly mediated a positive relation between caregivers' coping and their emotion coaching beliefs, as well as an inverse relation between caregivers' maladaptive coping and their emotion dismissing beliefs.

Enhancing caregivers' hope or adaptive coping may support caregivers' beliefs during the pediatric cancer experience.

Our findings support future research to evaluate whether enhancing caregivers' hope or adaptive coping may help support evidence-based interventions that target ES beliefs and behaviors.

Purpose: We investigated sleep-related challenges and their association with family functioning in children and adolescents previously treated for craniopharyngioma.

Design: Quantitative approach using psychometrically validated measures.

Sample: Thirty-nine children and adolescents who had been treated for craniopharyngioma and their primary caregivers.

Methods: Caregivers and youth completed measures of family functioning, family routines, daytime sleepiness, and children's sleep patterns.

Findings: Children and adolescents with craniopharyngioma had significantly higher ratings of self-reported excessive daytime sleepiness, bedtime fears/worries, and restless legs symptoms compared to their relatively healthy peers. Lack of family routines and poor family functioning were related to poor sleep-related outcomes and increased excessive daytime sleepiness.

Implications for psychosocial providers: Providers should consider assessing sleep difficulties in pediatric brain tumor survivors from a family systems perspective. Intervening on family-related factors may help improve sleep and other health-related outcomes, whereas intervening on sleep may help improve family functioning.

Background: It is well documented that invasive medical treatment, such as Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT), can be stressful and potentially traumatic for children, leading to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Post Traumatic Stress Symptoms (PTSS) after treatment. Despite this evidence, little is known about the patterns of stress and trauma that develop throughout the HSCT admission.

Purpose: To examine patterns of toxic stress and trauma that develop throughout the pediatric HSCT admission and understand how music therapists, as members of the interdisciplinary psychosocial care team, may proactively intervene to mitigate the impact of traumatic experiences.

Method: A two-phase retrospective longitudinal multi-case design was used with a combination of time series and template analyses.

Sample: The sample included 14 pediatric patients (aged 0-17) undergoing HSCT at a large pediatric hospital in the Midwestern United States.

Findings: The results were identifiable patterns of toxic stress and trauma and a model of care for music therapy that is responsive to the identified patterns.

Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth delivery of psychological care services expanded to meet the needs of people with cancer. This study examined psychologists' attitudes toward using telehealth during the pandemic peak in a tertiary oncology hospital.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten psychologists who used telehealth to deliver psychological services. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes in the interview data.

Results: Themes identified: (1) increased uptake and attendance of psychology sessions was due to greater accessibility of services; (2) clinicians reported ease of communication and building of rapport when using telehealth; and (3) clinicians perceived differences in the psychotherapeutic process when sessions were delivered via telehealth compared to in-person.

Conclusions: Clinicians expressed high satisfaction with delivering telehealth psychological support for oncology patients. Implications for Psychosocial Providers: Oncology services that are considering developing or expanding a telehealth psychology service can facilitate this by ensuring a reliable technological platform and providing training and/or support to staff and patients. Clinicians should also use their clinical judgment to decide if a patient is appropriate for telehealth-delivered psychological care or if a mix of modalities is more ideal.

Purpose: Patients with hematologic malignancies (HM) typically rely on informal caregivers for support. Caregivers experience distress, poorer health, and lower quality of life. This study aimed to understand caregivers' experiences adapting to, and making meaning of, their family members' cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Approach: Qualitative, constructivist approach.

Participants: Caregivers (N = 28) of patients with HM within three months of diagnosis.

Methods: A descriptive content analysis was used to analyze semi-structured interview responses and generate themes.

Findings: Six themes emerged: power and control (powerlessness, empowerment, relinquishing control/accepting help), protection (gatekeeping, protective buffering), integrating the diagnosis, tolerating uncertainty, preparedness for the caregiver role, and maintaining positivity.

Conclusions: Findings highlight challenges and resilience-promoting processes for caregivers adapting to HM diagnosis and treatment.

Implications for psychosocial providers: Psychological and supportive care interventions can promote acceptance of the diagnosis, preparation for caregiving, navigation of power and control, and targeted coping strategies.

Purpose: While the unmet healthcare needs are still being improved upon, the wellbeing of cancer patients has increasingly become a prime concern in Malaysia. The objective of this study is to ascertain the trend of unmet supportive care needs, post-traumatic growth (P T G), coping strategies, and social supports among patients with breast cancer over the three time points of treatment: T1 at early diagnosis, T2 for three months after diagnosis, and T3 for six months after diagnosis.

Methods: A total of 240 cancer patients participated in this prospective cohort study, with follow-up visits from October 2019 until July 2021. Data were collected using several instruments: Brief COP E, the Source of Social Support Scale (SSSS), the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory - Short Form (P T GI-SF), and a Malay version of the 34-Item Shortform Supportive Care Need Survey (SCNS-SF34).

Results: The results indicated a significant change from T1 to T3 for all domains of the unmet needs (p-value < 0.001), except for the sexual domain. A lower SCNS-SF34 score resulted from more unfavorable social support. The P T GI-SF results indicated a trend toward meeting the unmet needs, and a higher SCNS-SF-34 score predicted a considerably higher P T GI-SF score.

Conclusions: Our study findings suggest that majority of the factors evaluated in terms of unmet needs among cancer patients have undergone considerable changes.

Purpose: Identify subgroups of patients with distinct joint anxiety AND depression profiles and evaluate for differences in demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as stress, resilience, and coping.

Design: Longitudinal study.

Participants: Patients (n = 1328) receiving chemotherapy.

Methods: Measures of state anxiety and depression were done six times over two cycles of chemotherapy. All of the other measures were completed prior to second or third cycle of chemotherapy. Latent profile analysis was used to identify the distinct joint anxiety and depression profiles.

Findings: Three classes were identified (i.e. Low Anxiety and Low Depression (57.5%); Moderate Anxiety and Moderate Depression (33.7%), High Anxiety and High Depression (8.8%)). For all of the stress measures, a dose response effect was seen among the profiles. Two worst profiles reported higher occurrence rates for a number of adverse childhood experiences.

Implications for providers: Patients need referrals for stress reduction techniques and mental health and social services.

Purpose/objectives: We aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of mobile ecological momentary assessment (mEMA) for youth with craniopharyngioma and evaluate daily associations among family functioning, affect, and sleep difficulties.

Design/research approach: Youth completed two mEMA diaries per day for one week.

Sample/participants: Thirty-nine youth who underwent surgery and proton radiotherapy (when indicated) for craniopharyngioma.

Methods/methodological approach: Descriptive statistics and multi-level modeling were used to examine feasibility and acceptability of mEMA and daily associations among family functioning, affect, and sleep.

Findings: Youth reported satisfaction and minimal burden from completing daily mEMA diaries. Poorer family functioning was not related to lower sleep efficiency.

Conclusions/interpretation: mEMA is an acceptable and feasible method for evaluating sleep and related variables in children and adolescents with craniopharyngioma.

Implications for psychosocial providers or policy: Results highlight the utility of gathering mEMA data in youth at elevated risk for sleep difficulties as a function of their illness/treatment.