The purpose of this study within Caring sciences is to identify women with breast cancer who have stress symptoms and to offer these women appropriate care to reduce stress and increase well-being. This will be achieved by 1. Studying the prevalence of stress related symptoms in female patients with breast cancer 2. Testing the use of two short screening instruments to identify women at risk for developing long-standing stress symptoms 3. Studying the level and intensity of stress management interventions required to achieve increased well-being, using a stepped-care approach. 4. Studying the effects of interventions based on cognitive behavior therapy, delivered individually or in a group format. The hypothesis is that half of the individuals assigned to a low intensity intervention will be significantly improved after treatment. For individuals who continue to have symptoms after low intensity treatment it is hypothesized that continued treatment in a group setting with high intensity interventions will be more cost-effective. In addition the assumption is that reduction of stress symptoms in women with breast cancer will lead to a reduction in socio-economic costs.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
466
All patients start at the first step of the intervention program with a two hours psychoeducation in stress management. Patients, who don't report a decrease in stress related symptoms, after the first step will be offered an intensive stress management, either in individual or group format. Components included in the intervention concern 1) basic knowledge about cancer, treatment, healthy living and stress reactions, 2) self-awareness with help of diary for thoughts, feelings and behavior 3) instruction in various techniques on how to express negative feelings, how to communicate with others more effectively, how to change behaviors related to stress 4) training these techniques in real-life situations 5) cognitive restructuring 6) spirituality, derived from cognitive behavior therapy.
Unnamed facility
Falun, Sweden
Unnamed facility
Gävle, Sweden
Unnamed facility
Uppsala, Sweden
Psychosocial aspect
Intrusion, Avoidance, Anxiety, Depression, Quality of life, Fatigue, Daily stress
Time frame: Changes in psychosocial aspects from baseline to 12 months post diagnosis
Cost-Utility Analysis
Time frame: 12 month
Patient satisfaction
Time frame: 3 month, after intensive intervention and 12 month
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