Interest in a psycho-educational group intervention among out-patients with malignant melanoma in relation to their need: which patients are likely to participate?

The aim of this study was to examine the interest which patients with malignant melanoma may have in a six week psycho-educational group intervention and determine factors that are associated with their degree of interest. Of 144 outpatients, 121 (84%) agreed to participate in the interview (78 women, 66 men, mean age 59, SD=15; mean time since surgery=57 months, SD=55). About one-third (29%) of the sample had either nodal or in-transit metastases. A semi-structured interview was conducted to assess patients' interest (perceived need) in the intervention. We administered the Hornheide questionnaire and other psychosocial measures to identify highly distressed patients (expert-defined need). Lower age, being male, having no partner and lower cognitive avoidance emerged as significant predictors for a general interest in the intervention (n=92). A substantial number of patients (42.5%) stated a willingness to participate in the intervention at that time. Two problematic subgroups could be identified in the sample: patients in an expert-defined need of support who lacked any interest ('avoiders') and interested patients without an expert-defined need ('skilled help-seekers'). In order to achieve consistent results when conducting future interventions, the interventions should either be limited to patients with expert-defined need or patients should be carefully controlled for this variable.