Effect of interpersonal dysfunction on treatment response to a cognitive-behavioral stress management intervention in men treated for early stage prostate cancer

The present study sought to evaluate the efficacy of a 10-week, group based intervention in promoting sexual function and in decreasing biological markers of distress in older men recovering from localized prostate cancer. Additionally, investigators attempted to determine the effect of certain underlying personality traits (i.e., interpersonal problems) on the efficacy of this intervention. Participants were 215 middle-aged and older men (M age = 64.8, SD = 7.6) recovering from localized (i.e., Stage I-II) prostatic carcinoma, and had undergone either radical prostatectomy or external beam radiotherapy. Participants were randomized into either a 10-week, group based Cognitive-Behavioral Stress Management (CBSM) intervention (experimental condition) or a one-day educational seminar (control condition). Self-report and biological measures were completed prior to randomization and again following CBSM or control interventions. Dependent measures included the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapies, the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale and urinary catecholamine production. Interpersonal dysfunction was measured using the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems. Hypotheses were evaluated using both structural equation modeling and moderated regression. Results suggested that the CBSM intervention was effective in promoting sexual satisfaction and sexual functioning in men treated with radical prostatectomy, but not in men treated with radiotherapy. Further, the effect on sexual functioning in men treated with radical prostatectomy was highest for participants reporting greater levels of interpersonal dysfunction at baseline. There was no effect on urinary catecholamine production. The fact that the CBSM intervention was effective primarily for men recovering from radical prostatectomy is discussed in terms of its timing, i.e. the placement of the intervention within the natural trajectory of recovery following surgical treatment. Results also suggest that individuals with higher levels of interpersonal dysfunction may make the greatest gains from group-based interventions, presumably related to lower baseline mood and quality of life and greater room to grow

PRZEDRUK POLSKIEGO TŁUMACZENIA ARTYKUŁU ZA ZGODĄ INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF PAIN (IASP) - PAIN 154 (2013) 2775-2781 Wartość rokownicza strategii radzenia sobie z bólem w wybranej z populacji próbie osób z przewlekłymi objawowymi zmianami zwyrodnieniowymi stawów kolanowych

Radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent condition that has been the focus of a number of studies identifying factors that are prognostic of continued or worsening pain and function. Although prior prognostic studies have identified a number of demographic, physical, and psychological factors that are predictive of outcome, minimal focus has been placed on pain coping skills as prognostic factors, despite crosssectional evidence suggesting that pain coping skills are associated with pain and function in knee OA. The present study reports on the use of pain coping skills as prognostic factors for changes in pain and/or function over a 1-year period. Participants were drawn from the Osteoarthritis Initiative, a prospective longitudinal cohort study of persons recruited from the community who either had knee OA or were at high risk for developing knee OA. Data from the Coping Strategies Questionnaire were compared against 1-year change in pain, function, or both, using established criteria for defining whether the patient got better, worse, or stayed the same over the 1-year period. Results revealed a significant effect for praying/hoping, increased behavioral activities, and pain catastrophizing as prognostic of pain outcomes; ignoring pain and praying/hoping were prognostic of function outcomes; and increased behavioral activities and pain catastrophizing were prognostic of a combined pain and function outcome. The findings provide important new evidence regarding the potential clinical relevance of a number of pain coping responses hypothesized to influence future pain and function in persons with arthritis.Stwierdzane radiograficznie zmiany zwyrodnieniowe stawów kolanowych to schorzenie bardzo częste i będące przedmiotem licznych badań, w których identyfikowano czynniki rokownicze utrzymującego się lub narastającego bólu i zaburzeń czynności. We wcześniejszych badaniach dotyczących rokowania zidentyfikowano liczne czynniki demograficzne, fizyczne i psychologiczne, które są predyktorami wyniku leczenia, ale niewiele uwagi poświęcono umiejętnościom radzenia sobie z bólem jako czynnikowi rokowniczemu, pomimo danych pochodzących z badań przekrojowych, które wskazują, że umiejętności te wiążą się z bólem i z funkcjonowaniem w chorobie zwyrodnieniowej stawów kolanowych. W bieżącym badaniu opisujemy zastosowanie umiejętności radzenia sobie z bólem jako jednym z czynników rokowniczych zmian w zakresie bólu i/lub funkcjonowania w ciągu rocznej obserwacji. Uczestnicy badania pochodzili z Osteorthritis Initiative, prospektywnego podłużnego badania kohortowego osób rekrutowanych ze społeczności, które miały chorobę zwyrodnieniową stawów kolanowych lub były obciążone dużym ryzykiem rozwoju tego schorzenia. Dane z Coping Strategies Questionnaire porównano z rocznymi zmianami w zakresie bólu, czynności lub obu tych zmiennych, za pomocą określonych kryteriów definiujących zmianę stanu klinicznego pacjenta na lepszy, gorszy lub bez zmian w ciągu roku. Wyniki wskazały na istotne efekty modlitwy/nadziei, zwiększonej aktywności behawioralnej i myślenia katastroficznego na temat bólu, jako czynników rokowniczych wyniku leczenia; ignorowanie bólu oraz modlitwa/nadzieja były czynnikami prognostycznymi wyniku leczenia w zakresie funkcjonowania; zwiększona aktywność behawioralna i myślenie katastroficzne na temat bólu były czynnikami rokowniczymi odnoszącymi się łącznie do wyników leczenia bólu oraz funkcjonowania. Wyniki dostarczają istotnych nowych danych naukowych odnośnie do potencjalnego klinicznego znaczenia wielu reakcji radzenia sobie z bólem, które przypuszczalnie mogą wpływać na przyszły ból i funkcjonowanie osób z chorobą zwyrodnieniową stawów

Physical activity and sexual functioning after radiotherapy for prostate cancer: Beneficial effects for patients undergoing external beam radiotherapy

To evaluate, in a cross-sectional study, the relationships among physical activity, sexual functioning, and treatment type for 111 men who had undergone radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer within the past 18 months. Physical activity preserves the sexual functioning capacity of older men. However, little information exists regarding the association of physical activity with sexual functioning after treatment for localized prostate cancer. We tested the main effects of physical activity and treatment procedure, as well as their interaction, using hierarchical regression analysis. We hypothesized that greater physical activity would relate to better reported sexual functioning and that this relationship would be moderated by the type of medical treatment. After controlling for age, medical comorbidity, fatigue, and urinary and bowel functioning, more physical activity was significantly associated with better sexual functioning, and the interaction of physical activity and treatment procedure added a significant amount of explained variance. Overall, 35% of the variance in sexual functioning was accounted for by the model. Post hoc tests of moderation revealed that men who underwent external beam radiotherapy had significantly greater sexual functioning scores as physical activity increased but the effect of physical activity on sexual function after brachytherapy and combination therapy was nonsignificant. Physical activity was positively correlated with sexual functioning for those who underwent external beam radiotherapy. These relationships should be replicated and explored in a larger, longitudinal sample to ascertain whether the effects of physical activity in this at-risk population extend over time and protect men from treatment-related decrements in sexual functioning

A randomized clinical trial of group-based cognitive-behavioral stress management in localized prostate cancer: development of stress management skills improves quality of life and benefit finding

Recent literature has indicated that a significant percentage of oncology patients describe finding some benefit (e.g., improved personal growth, sense of meaning, and enhanced interpersonal relationships) in the cancer experience. However, few studies have investigated the role of group-based psychosocial interventions in improving benefit finding (BF), and virtually none have investigated these constructs in men. This study examined whether a cognitive-behavioral stress management (CBSM) intervention improves BF and quality of life (QoL) in men recovering from treatment for localized prostate cancer. Participants in this study were 191 men (M age = 65.1) treated with radiation or radical prostatectomy for clinically localized (i.e., Stage I or II) prostate cancer. Participants were primarily non-Hispanic White (40%) or Hispanic (41%), followed by Black (18%) and other ethnicity (1%), were an average of 65.1 years old (SD = 7.7), and earned an average of 47,800 US dollars annually (SD = 41,000 US dollars). Participants were randomized to either a 10-week group-based cognitive-behavioral stress management intervention or a half-day educational seminar as a control condition. All participants provided demographic information and completed the Positive Contributions Scale-Cancer to assess BF, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy to measure quality of life, and a measure of perceived stress management skills. Structural equation modeling was utilized for all analyses. Results indicated that the CBSM condition led to increases in BF and QoL and that these changes were mediated by the development of stress management skills. Results support the use of group-based cognitive-behavioral interventions in promoting QoL and BF in this population

Perceived Stress Management Skill Mediates the Relationship Between Optimism and Positive Mood Following Radical Prostatectomy

This study evaluated relations among optimism, perceived stress management skills (PSMS), and positive mood in 46 men who had surgical treatment for localized prostate cancer. The authors found that optimism, PSMS, and positive mood scores were positively correlated. Positive mood was unrelated to demographic and disease-related control variables. In a hierarchical regression model controlling for PSMS, the relationship between optimism and positive mood became nonsignificant, whereas PSMS remained a correlate of positive mood. Results suggest that the relationship between optimism and positive mood may be mediated by belief in being able to use stress management techniques effectively