Identifying the Most Prevalent Psychosocial Concerns in Lung Cancer Patients and their Caregivers

https://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp23/1111/thumbnail.jp

The Associations of Cancer’s Financial Stress on the Patient-Caregiver Dyad’s Sleep and Psychological Well-Being

https://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp23/1037/thumbnail.jp

Phase 1 Results: Cultural Adaptation of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Latino Cancer Patients and Their Caregivers

https://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp23/1090/thumbnail.jp

Development of Positive Language Coding System for Couples facing Cancer

https://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp21/1065/thumbnail.jp

Stress and cancer-related lifestyle factors among African American heterosexual couples.

Intimate partners can have a profound influence on individuals' health behaviors. In this exploratory research, we investigated the concordance of cancer-related lifestyle factors including smoking, body mass index, physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, red meat intake, and alcohol use within African American heterosexual couples. We also examined whether females' stress is associated with their own (actor effect) and males' cancer-related lifestyle factors (partner effect), and vice versa. We analyzed a total of 216 heterosexual couples (i.e., N = 432 individuals) recruited from black churches. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated and multilevel modeling in which individuals are nested within couples was conducted. Results showed that there was high concordance of body mass index (ICC = 1.68, p < .001), fruit and vegetable intake (ICC = 1.62, p < .001), red meat intake (ICC = 1.50, p = .001), and alcohol use (ICC = 1.74, p < .001) between spouses. A multilevel analysis showed that there were actor and partner effects of stress on females' BMI; females' stress was positively associated with their own BMI (actor effect; β = .42, p = .006) and males' stress was positively associated with females' BMI (partner effect; β = .39, p = .026). Also, females' stress was positively associated with their own red meat intake (actor effect; β = .20, p = .019). In conclusion, high concordance of cancer-related lifestyle factors (BMI, fruit and vegetable intake, red meat intake and alcohol use) exists between African American spouses. Given the identified actor and partner effects of stress on females' BMI, a couple-based lifestyle or weight management intervention that targets both male and female spouses' stress and coping will be promising, particularly to enhance African American women's health behaviors. Future studies need to investigate mechanisms underlying concordance and discordance of cancer-related lifestyle factors in African American couples. Also, factors that explain African American male spouses' health behaviors need to be uncovered

Study protocol: One plus one can be greater than two-Ecological momentary assessment for Black prostate cancer survivors and partners.

Given that romantic partners play a pivotal role in patients' survivorship period, integrating partners into survivorship care and broadening the focus of behavioral interventions from the individual (survivor) to the survivor-partner dyad may make healthy lifestyle behaviors more easily adopted and potentially maintained. Understanding the role of dyadic processes in Black survivors is particularly important because their lifestyle behaviors are poor and they have higher cancer-specific and all-cause mortality. To develop an effective dyadic lifestyle behavior intervention for Black survivors, micro-level investigations of interactions between Black survivors and their partners are necessary to pinpoint how survivors and partners facilitate or hinder each other's lifestyle behaviors in their natural, everyday lives. Accordingly, the objective of the present study is to fill these gaps using ecological momentary assessment to eventually develop more effective lifestyle interventions for Black prostate cancer (PCa) survivors and partners. A total of 120 dyads (i.e., 240 individuals) who are Black adult survivors diagnosed with non-metastatic PCa and their romantic partners will be asked to complete four assessments per day for 14 consecutive days on a smartphone after an initial retrospective survey. Over the 14 days, participants will be asked to complete a brief survey regarding their lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, sedentariness and eating behaviors), contexts of lifestyle behaviors, stress, and coping. Physical activity and sedentary behavior will be assessed via accelerometer; eating behaviors will be assessed with the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment Tool. After completing the 14-day assessment, participants will be asked to complete a final retrospective survey. Results of the proposed study will inform the rigorous development of a theory-based dyadic lifestyle intervention in this vulnerable survivorship population with the ultimate goal to improve overall survival and reduce morbidities (for survivors) and reduce cancer incidence (for partners)

A research protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial designed to examine the feasibility of a couple-based mind-body intervention for patients with metastatic lung cancer and their partners

Abstract Background Given the generally incurable nature of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC), patients and their romantic partners are at risk for existential/spiritual distress. Although a handful of dyadic psychosocial interventions for lung cancer patients and their caregivers exist, none of them target spiritual well-being. Informed by the mindfulness-based intervention literature and our pilot work in couples affected by lung cancer, we developed a brief couple-based mind-body (CBMB) intervention. The primary aim of this research protocol is to determine the feasibility of implementing the CBMB intervention versus an active control (AC) or wait list control (WLC) group in patients with mNSCLC and their partners using a randomized controlled trial design. Methods Seventy-five patients with mNSCLC receiving treatment and their partners are randomized to the CBMB intervention, an AC or a WLC group. Those in the CBMB intervention and AC groups receive four intervention sessions of 60 min each over 4 weeks and complete weekly homework assignments. The first session is delivered in person, and the remaining sessions are delivered via videoconference. The dyads in the AC group discuss cancer-related and personal growth concerns with the interventionist but are not taught coping skills. Patients and partners in all groups complete baseline assessments of quality of life (QOL) prior to randomization. Follow-up assessments are performed 4 weeks and then again 3 months later. The primary outcome is feasibility (i.e., ≥ 30% of eligible couples consent, ≥ 70% of enrolled couples are retained, and ≥ 50% of all CBMB and AC sessions are attended). We will also perform primarily descriptive analyses of the self-reported outcomes (e.g., spiritual well-being and psychological distress) and explore potential intervention mediators (i.e., compassion, communication, mindfulness, and closeness) to inform a larger, future trial. Discussion This trial will provide important information regarding the feasibility of a behavioral intervention in a vulnerable yet understudied population using videoconferencing and descriptive data regarding spiritual well-being and other indices of QOL in both mNSCLC patients and their partners. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT0259649