Effects of dyadic interventions on psychological outcomes among cancer patients with non-active treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Cancer and its treatment can generate substantial psychological distress (depression and anxiety). The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to explore the effectiveness of dyadic interventions on psychological outcomes in cancer patients with non-active treatment and to test subgroup analyses to explore the source of heterogeneity affecting effect sizes.

Design: Systematic searching across eight databases identified studies related to dyadic interventions for psychological outcomes of cancer patients published between 2007 and 2022. Rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria were utilized. Random-effects models were used to compute effect sizes with Hedge's g, forest plot, and Q and I² statistics to measure heterogeneity. Moderator analyses were examined.

Results: Eleven primary studies were identified (938 patients with cancer, 56.14 ± 7.29 years old). Overall, dyadic interventions significantly improved depression (g = .36, 95% confidence interval .026 to .68, I² = 76%) and anxiety (g = .29, 95% confidence interval 0.14 to .45, I² = 0%) compared to controls. With subgroup analyses, fidelity of dyadic interventions, number of weeks across intervention, and number of days after intervention measured were moderators affecting effect sizes.

Conclusion: Dyadic interventions appear to be effective among adults with cancer with non-active treatment. Additional research is needed to explore the efficacy of dyadic interventions among more diverse samples and to examine routes for integrating dyadic interventions into practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Adult with cancer might participate in the dyadic intervention for improving psychological outcomes.