Online support groups for young women with breast cancer: a proof-of-concept study

Stephen, Joanne; Rojubally, Adina; Linden, Wolfgang; Ling, Zhong; Mackenzie, Gina; Mahmoud, Sahar; Giese‐Davis, Janine

doi:10.1007/s00520-017-3639-2

Cited by 19 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These changes proved to be valuable as our dropout rate reduced substantially by the third cohort. The overall dropout rate was 20%, which is consistent with other online dropout rates in psychooncology …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…The availability of resources required to deliver face‐to‐face services is another challenge. Patients face long waiting lists for treatment when there is a lack of local expert therapists . Such barriers can result in prolonged suffering for patients and highlight the importance of utilizing alternative delivery formats, including online interventions …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Online text‐based groups (ie, texting with no visual contact) are a popular form of group intervention due to its simple hardware and internet bandwidth requirements . Research on text‐based groups in psychooncology have also shown efficacy . While evidence has suggested that text‐based therapies are feasible, limited data have been published, especially within the context of body image concerns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Feasibility and acceptability of i‐Restoring Body Image after Cancer (i‐ReBIC): A pilot trial for female cancer survivors

Trachtenberg

Wong

Rennie³

et al. 2020

Psycho-Oncology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and psychosocial outcomes of a text-based online group therapy intervention, i-Restoring Body Image after Cancer (i-ReBIC). i-ReBIC was developed to reduce body image distress and psychosexual dysfunction among women diagnosed and treated for breast or gynecological cancer.Methods: i-ReBIC was adapted from an empirically tested face-to-face group therapy intervention, ReBIC. Over the 8-week intervention, participants engaged in 90-minute weekly text-based online discussions. Each week, a new topic associated with reconnecting to the body, adjusting to a postcancer identity, and improving psychosexual functioning was addressed. Homework assignments included readings, guided imagery exercises, and journaling.Results: Sixty women with cancer enrolled in the pilot study. Among them, 47 completed the intervention, and 44 filled out all prestudy and poststudy questionnaires.Ninety-three percent of participants (n = 41) were satisfied and reported that it met their expectations. Eighty percent of participants (n = 35) reported no technical difficulties during the intervention. Preoutcome and postoutcome measures on body image distress and experience of embodiment showed statistically significant improvements. Psychosexual distress and quality of life also showed improvements but were not statistically significant. Conclusions:This study suggests that i-ReBIC is feasible, well accepted, and effective in addressing persistent body image concerns experienced by women treated for breast or gynecological cancer. As an online group therapy, i-ReBIC can expand the reach of its original face-to-face intervention by mitigating barriers and improving access to care in a cost-effective manner. K E Y W O R D S body image, breast cancer, feasibility, group therapy, gynecological cancer, online intervention, psychooncology

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Feasibility and acceptability of i‐Restoring Body Image after Cancer (i‐ReBIC): A pilot trial for female cancer survivors

Trachtenberg

Wong

Rennie³

et al. 2020

Psycho-Oncology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Various web‐based interventions, such as web‐based collaborative care interventions, online support groups, and computer‐tailored physical activity, have shown positive effects in patients coping with cancer. Previous reviews reported the positive impacts of web‐based interventions in providing support and information for cancer patients or caregivers and in positively influencing caregivers' social and psychological outcomes .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A critical literature review of dyadic web‐based interventions to support cancer patients and their caregivers, and directions for future research

Luo

Li-hong

et al. 2019

Psycho-Oncology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: With the rapid development of the Internet, e-health interventions are becoming popular and are showing positive impacts. Cancer affects not only patients but also their caregivers, leading to a recognition that cancer patient-caregiver dyads cope with cancer as a unit rather than as individuals. The objectives of this paper are to explore web-based interventions for cancer patient-caregiver dyads coping with cancer from the aspects of intervention content, delivery format, outcome measurements, and outcomes and to provide recommendations on developing patientcaregiver dyadic web-based interventions for future research. Methods: Literature focused on cancer patient-caregiver dyadic web-based interventions, published in English or Chinese from the launch of five databases (CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBase, Medline, Science Citation Index Expanded) to April 2019, was systematically searched. Manual searching through the references of full-text articles was also conducted. Results: Of a total of 812 articles, 17 articles met the inclusion criteria. The content of these web-based dyadic interventions mainly included information support, communication and support, skills-building, and psycho-education. These web-based interventions reported a small to large positive impact on patients with cancer and their caregivers in terms of physical health (d = 0.17-0.75), psychological health (d = 0.04-0.80), overall quality of life (d = 0.20-0.68), and dyadic relationship (d = 0.30-0.95). Conclusions: Web-based dyadic interventions can be designed for tailored content, which benefits both patients and their caregivers. Future research on cancer patient-caregiver web-based interventions should be conducted in diverse cultures. K E Y W O R D S cancer, caregiver, dyadic intervention, e-health, oncology, patient, web-based intervention Xingjuan Luo and Lihong Gao contributed equally to this work.

show abstract

“…A Cochrane Review of six online support group interventions in women with breast cancer concluded low quality and mixed results provide insufficient evidence supporting their use in this context [95**]. Two single-arm designs [96,97] and three RCTs [98,99,100] reporting psychoeducation, online support groups, supportive-expressive group therapy, or combinations thereof concur.…”

Section: Support Groups Supportive Expressive Therapy and Counsellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological support for patients with cancer: evidence review and suggestions for future directions

Hulbert‐Williams

Beatty

Dhillon

2018

Current Opinion in Supportive &Amp; Palliative Care

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Efficacious, timely and acceptable psychological interventions are a necessary component of comprehensive cancer care. There is some way to go before the evidence conclusively points towards which interventions work for which cancer groups and for which specific outcomes. Methodological limitations must be addressed in future trials; at the forefront remains the need for fully powered, head-to-head comparison trials.

show abstract

Online support groups for young women with breast cancer: a proof-of-concept study

Abstract: This study suggests that therapist-led synchronous OSGs are feasible, acceptable, and useful for young breast cancer survivors and that a future RCT with a larger sample size, perhaps more focused on non-urban areas, is needed to establish its effectiveness.

Cited by 19 publications

References 47 publications

Feasibility and acceptability of i‐Restoring Body Image after Cancer (i‐ReBIC): A pilot trial for female cancer survivors

Feasibility and acceptability of i‐Restoring Body Image after Cancer (i‐ReBIC): A pilot trial for female cancer survivors

A critical literature review of dyadic web‐based interventions to support cancer patients and their caregivers, and directions for future research

Psychological support for patients with cancer: evidence review and suggestions for future directions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About