Stress Management and Resilience Training (SMART) Intervention for Family Caregivers of Individuals With Advanced Cancer

Mayo Clinic26 enrolled

Overview

This study examines Stress Management and Resilience Training (SMART) for family caregivers (FCG) of patients receiving chemotherapy for advanced cancer to potentially help with the stressful aspects of providing care. All participants will receive the SMART intervention.

FCGs experience stress and extensive demands in providing care for those with head and neck cancer. Teaching the principles of mindfulness and compassion to FCGs has the potential to protect their psychological health and well-being. This may allow them to provide effective, compassionate care to patients, which ultimately puts the needs of the patient first. Mindfulness interventions have demonstrated decreased stress and anxiety, and improved self-compassion for individuals, but entail numerous sessions over several weeks, a barrier for caregivers. The SMART program, a brief mindfulness program, has demonstrated improvements in resilience, anxiety, perceived stress, and mindfulness for healthcare providers and patients.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Family Caregivers Advanced Cancer

Interventions

SMART interventionBEHAVIORAL

All participants will attend a 90-minute SMART small group session. This session provides education on the stress response and the principles of gratitude, compassion, mindful presence, and resilient mindset. In addition to the class, there will be follow-up online and written resources.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Primary caregiver of patient with advanced head and neck cancer receiving chemotherapy, living with the patient at least 50% of the time during treatment, able to read and speak English, cognitively intact, able to take SMART class within 2 weeks of enrollment Exclusion Criteria: * Self-identified mental health diagnoses, less than 18 years of age, not living with patient at least 50% of the time, unable to read and speak English

Locations (1)

Mayo Clinic

Rochester, Minnesota, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Mean Satisfaction score at 8 weeks

The Was It Worth It (WiWi) questionnaire measures satisfaction in seven questions. The questions are answered as either "yes, no, or unsure," overall perception of life change and experience, an open-ended response question, and an option to talk with someone about concerns. Positive responses will indicate acceptability; results reported as individual items.

Time frame: Week 8

Change in Mean Self Compassion Scale-Short Form Score at 8 weeks

The Self Compassion Scale-Short Form will measure self-compassion. This form includes 12 items that are measured on a 4-point scale from "never" to "very often" with higher score indicating a higher level of perceived stress; some of these items are scored in reverse.

Time frame: Baseline and Week 8

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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