Oh, P.J., & Kim, S.H. (2010). Effects of a brief psychosocial intervention in patients with cancer receiving adjuvant therapy. Oncology Nursing Forum, 37, E98–E104.
To test the effects of a brief psychosocial intervention (BPIC) delivered using CD-ROM on psychosocial and behavioral outcomes in patients with cancer undergoing adjuvant treatment
Participants viewed a 15-minute CD-ROM education program and received a booklet as well as 20 minutes of health education in the first session. A follow-up 15-minute telephone session was delivered one week later. The program focused on health education, coping, and stress management.
Patients were undergoing the active treatment phase of care.
A randomized controlled trial design was used.
There were no differences between groups for helplessness, hopelessness, anxiety, or depression. There were significant differences in fighting spirit (p = 0.005) and self-care behaviors (p < 0.001) between the two groups. The scores increased in the experimental group but declined in the control group.
Findings support effectiveness of the intervention in improving fighting spirit and self-care behaviors; however, the intervention had no significant effect on anxiety or depression.
Mean anxiety and depression scores at baseline were relatively low, suggesting very limited potential for these outcomes to be significantly improved.