Emotional well-being is most typically studied in trait or trait-like terms, yet a growing literature indicates that daily (within-person) fluctuations in emotional well-being may be equally important. The present research explored the hypothesis that daily variations may be understood in terms of the degree to which three basic needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—are satisfied in daily activity. Hierarchical linear models were used to examine this hypothesis across 2 weeks of daily activity and well-being reports controlling for trait-level individual differences. Results strongly supported the hypothesis. The authors also examined the social activities that contribute to satisfaction of relatedness needs. The best predictors were meaningful talk and feeling understood and appreciated by interaction partners. Finally, the authors found systematic day-of-the-week variations in emotional well-being and need satisfaction. These results are discussed in terms of the importance of daily activities and the need to consider both trait and day-level determinants of well-being.

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A B S T R A C T PurposeSleep disruption is prevalent in patients with cancer and survivors, but the prevalence of insomnia, a distressing sleep disorder, in these populations has yet to be determined in large-scale studies. Patients and MethodsA total of 823 patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy (mean age, 58 years; 597 female patients) reported on sleep difficulties in a prospective study. ResultsDuring day 7 of cycle 1 of chemotherapy, 36.6% (n ϭ 301) of the patients with cancer reported insomnia symptoms, and 43% (n ϭ 362) met the diagnostic criteria for insomnia syndrome. Patients with cancer younger than 58 years were significantly more likely to experience either symptoms of insomnia or insomnia syndrome ( 2 ϭ 13.6; P ϭ .0002). Patients with breast cancer had the highest number of overall insomnia complaints. A significant positive association was found between symptoms of insomnia during cycles 1 and 2 of chemotherapy ( ϭ .62, P Ͻ .0001), showing persistence of insomnia during the first two cycles of chemotherapy. Sixty percent of the patient sample reported that their insomnia symptoms remained unchanged from cycle 1 to cycle 2. Those with insomnia complaints had significantly more depression and fatigue than good sleepers (all P Ͻ .0001). ConclusionThe proportions of patients with cancer in this sample reporting symptoms of insomnia and meeting diagnostic criteria for insomnia syndrome during chemotherapy are approximately three times higher than the proportions reported in the general population. Insomnia complaints persist throughout the second chemotherapy cycle for the majority of patients with cancer in this study. Insomnia is prevalent, underrecognized, undermanaged, and understudied among patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy.

Purpose Despite the widespread use of antiemetics, nausea continues to be reported by over 70% of patients receiving chemotherapy. Methods In this double blind, multicenter trial, we randomly assigned 744 cancer patients to four arms: 1) placebo, 2) 0.5g ginger, 3) 1.0g ginger, or 4) 1.5g ginger. Nausea occurrence and severity were assessed at a baseline cycle and the two following cycles during which patients were taking their assigned study medication. All patients received a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist antiemetic on Day 1 of all cycles. Patients took three capsules of ginger (250mg) or placebo twice daily for six days starting three days before the first day of chemotherapy. Patients reported the severity of nausea on a 7-point rating scale (“1” = “Not at all Nauseated” and “7” = “Extremely Nauseated”) for Days 1-4 of each cycle. The primary outcomes were to determine the dose and efficacy of ginger at reducing the severity of chemotherapy-induced nausea on Day 1 of chemotherapy. Results A total of 576 patients were included in final analysis (91% female, mean age = 53). Mixed model analyses demonstrated that all doses of ginger significantly reduced acute nausea severity compared to placebo on Day 1 of chemotherapy (p=0.003). The largest reduction in nausea intensity occurred with 0.5g and 1.0g of ginger (p=0.017 and p=0.036, respectively). Anticipatory nausea was a key factor in acute chemotherapy-induced nausea (p<0.0001). Conclusions Ginger supplementation at daily dose of 0.5g-1.0g significantly aids in reduction of the severity of acute chemotherapy-induced nausea in adult cancer patients.

Sleep disorders, such as difficulty falling asleep, problems maintaining sleep, poor sleep efficiency, early awakening, and excessive daytime sleepiness, are prevalent in patients with cancer. Such problems can become chronic in some patients, persisting for many months or years after completion of cancer therapy. For patients with cancer, sleep is potentially affected by a variety of factors, including the biochemical changes associated with the process of neoplastic growth and anticancer treatments, and symptoms that frequently accompany cancer, such as pain, fatigue, and depression.Fatigue is highly prevalent and persistent in patients with cancer and cancer survivors. Although cancerrelated fatigue and cancer-related sleep disorders are distinct, a strong interrelationship exists between these symptoms, and a strong possibility exists that they may be reciprocally related. The majority of studies that have assessed both sleep and fatigue in patients with cancer provide evidence supporting a strong correlation between cancer-related fatigue and various sleep parameters, including poor sleep quality, disrupted initiation and maintenance of sleep, nighttime awakening, restless sleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness. This paper reviews the data from these studies with a view toward suggesting further research that could advance our scientific understanding both of potential interrelationships between sleep disturbance and cancer-related fatigue and of clinical interventions to help with both fatigue and sleep disturbance. The Oncologist 2007;12(suppl 1): [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]

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Introduction-The Cancer Behavior Inventory-Brief Version (CBI-B), a 12-item measure of self-efficacy for coping with cancer derived from the longer 33-item version (CBI-L), was subjected to psychometric analysis.

SummaryBackground-Most women receiving systemic therapy for breast cancer experience hot flashes. We undertook a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-institutional trial to assess the efficacy of gabapentin in controlling hot flashes in women with breast cancer.