María Lleras de Frutos1,2, Joan Carles Medina3,4, Jaume Vives5, Anna Casellas-Grau6,7, Jose Luis Marzo8, Josep M Borràs3,9, Cristian Ochoa-Arnedo1,2,3. 1. Psycho-Oncology Department and ICOnnecta't e-Health Program, Institut Català d'Oncologia, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. 2. Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology Department, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 3. Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. 4. Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. 5. Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences and Sport Research Institute, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 6. Psychosocial Observatory in Cancer, Institut Català d'Oncologia. L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. 7. Psychology Department, Faculty of Education, Translation, and Human Sciences, Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya, Vic, Spain. 8. Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain. 9. Department of Clinical Science, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study assesses the effectiveness of face-to-face group positive psychotherapy for cancer survivors (PPC) compared to its online adaptation, online group positive psychotherapy for cancer survivors (OPPC), which is held via videoconference. A two-arm, pragmatic randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the effects of both interventions on emotional distress, post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and post-traumatic growth (PTG) among cancer survivors and analyze attrition to treatment. METHODS:Adult women with a range of cancer diagnoses were invited to participate if they experienced emotional distress at the end of their primary oncological treatment. Emotional distress, PTSS, andPTG were assessed at baseline, immediately after treatment, and 3 months after treatment. Intention-to-treat analyses were carried out using general linear mixed models to test the effect of the interventions overtime. Logistic regressions were performed to test differential adherence to treatment and retention to follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 269 individuals participated. The observed treatment effect was significant in both modalities, PPC and OPPC. Emotional distress (b = -2.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -3.15 to -1.33) and PTSS (b = -3.25, 95% CI = -4.97 to -1.53) decreased significantly over time, and PTG (b = 3.08, 95% CI = 0.38-5.78) increased significantly. Treatment gains were sustained across outcomes and over time. Analyses revealed no significant differences between modalities of treatment, after adjusting for baseline differences, finding that OPPC is as effective and engaging as PPC. CONCLUSIONS: The OPPC treatment was found to be effective and engaging for female cancer early survivors. These results open the door for psycho-oncology interventions via videoconference, which are likely to lead to greater accessibility and availability of psychotherapy.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: This study assesses the effectiveness of face-to-face group positive psychotherapy for cancer survivors (PPC) compared to its online adaptation, online group positive psychotherapy for cancer survivors (OPPC), which is held via videoconference. A two-arm, pragmatic randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the effects of both interventions on emotional distress, post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and post-traumatic growth (PTG) among cancer survivors and analyze attrition to treatment. METHODS: Adult women with a range of cancer diagnoses were invited to participate if they experienced emotional distress at the end of their primary oncological treatment. Emotional distress, PTSS, and PTG were assessed at baseline, immediately after treatment, and 3 months after treatment. Intention-to-treat analyses were carried out using general linear mixed models to test the effect of the interventions overtime. Logistic regressions were performed to test differential adherence to treatment and retention to follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 269 individuals participated. The observed treatment effect was significant in both modalities, PPC and OPPC. Emotional distress (b = -2.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -3.15 to -1.33) and PTSS (b = -3.25, 95% CI = -4.97 to -1.53) decreased significantly over time, and PTG (b = 3.08, 95% CI = 0.38-5.78) increased significantly. Treatment gains were sustained across outcomes and over time. Analyses revealed no significant differences between modalities of treatment, after adjusting for baseline differences, finding that OPPC is as effective and engaging as PPC. CONCLUSIONS: The OPPC treatment was found to be effective and engaging for female cancer early survivors. These results open the door for psycho-oncology interventions via videoconference, which are likely to lead to greater accessibility and availability of psychotherapy.
Authors: Joan C Medina; Aida Flix-Valle; Ana Rodríguez-Ortega; Rosa Hernández-Ribas; María Lleras de Frutos; Cristian Ochoa-Arnedo Journal: Cancers (Basel) Date: 2022-02-15 Impact factor: 6.639