scholarly journals Pilot testing an app-based stress management intervention for cancer survivors

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 770-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elin Børøsund ◽  
Cecilie Varsi ◽  
Matthew M Clark ◽  
Shawna L Ehlers ◽  
Michael A Andrykowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Stress Management ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Management Intervention ◽  
Stress Management Intervention ◽  
Management Interventions

Abstract Psychosocial eHealth intervention programs for cancer survivors are still in their infancy, with inconsistent findings so far in the scientific literature. The aim of this study was to explore system use, usefulness, ease of use, and preliminary effects of Stress Proffen, an app-based cognitive-behavioral stress management intervention for patients with cancer. A feasibility pilot project tested the intervention with cancer survivors (N = 25). The intervention contained (a) one face-to-face introduction session, (b) 10 app-based modules with stress management educational material and exercises, and (c) one follow-up phone call. Post-intervention interviews were conducted and user log-data were extracted. Outcome measures—Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Anxiety and Depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]), Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL; SF-36), and Self-Regulatory Fatigue (SRF-18)—were completed at baseline and post-intervention. Participants were primarily women (84%), age 34–71 (mean 48) and represented a variety of cancer diagnoses (majority breast cancer: 40%). Twenty-two participants completed all (pre–post) questionnaires. Sixteen participants (67%) completed at least 7 of 10 modules within the 8-week study period. Post-intervention interviews described StressProffen as providing a new, appreciated, and easily accessible stress management tool for the cancer survivors. Dependent/paired t-tests showed significant pre–post intervention effects with significant decrease in stress (p = .008), anxiety (p = .019), and self-regulatory fatigue (p = .025), and improved HRQoL (Role Physical, General Health, Vitality, and Role Emotional, all p’s <.01). App-based stress management interventions such as StressProffen can provide appreciated support for cancer survivors, should be easy to use, can provide significant stress reduction, and improve emotional well-being. Further testing in a randomized controlled trial is warranted and is in progress. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT0293961.

scholarly journals A Stress Management App Intervention for Cancer Survivors: Design, Development, and Usability Testing (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elin Børøsund ◽  
Jelena Mirkovic ◽  
Matthew M Clark ◽  
Shawna L Ehlers ◽  
Michael A Andrykowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Stress Management ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Usability Testing ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Design And Development ◽  
Management Intervention ◽  
Stress Management Intervention ◽  
Management Interventions

BACKGROUND Distress is prevalent in cancer survivors. Stress management interventions can reduce distress and improve quality of life for cancer patients, but many people with cancer are unfortunately not offered or able to attend such in-person stress management interventions. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to develop an evidence-based stress management intervention for patients living with cancer that can be delivered electronically with wide reach and dissemination. This paper describes the design and development process of a technology-based stress management intervention for cancer survivors, including the exploration phase, intervention content development, iterative software development (including design, development, and formative evaluation of low- and high-level prototypes), and security and privacy considerations. METHODS Design and development processes were iterative and performed in close collaboration with key stakeholders (N=48). In the exploration phase, identifying needs and requirements for the intervention, 28 participants gave input, including male and female cancer survivors (n=11) representing a wide age range (31-81 years) and cancer diagnoses, healthcare providers (n=8) including psychosocial oncology experts, and eHealth experts (n=9) including information technology design and developers. To ensure user involvement in each phase various user-centered design and service design methods were included, such as interviews, usability testing, and think aloud processes. Overall, participants were involved usability testing in the software development and formative evaluation phase, including cancer survivors (n=6), healthy volunteers (n=7), health care providers (n=2), and eHealth experts (n=5). Intervention content was developed by stress management experts based on well-known cognitive behavioral stress management strategies and adjusted to electronic format through multiple iterations with stakeholders. Privacy and security issues were considered throughout. RESULTS The design and development process identified a variety of stakeholder requirements. Cancer survivors preferred stress management through a mobile app rather than through a personal computer (PC) and identified usefulness, easy access, user friendliness, use of easily understandable language, and many brief sections rather than longer ones as important components of the intervention. These requirements were also supported by recommendations from health care providers and eHealth experts. The final intervention was named StressProffen and the hospital Privacy and Security Protection Committee was part of the final intervention approval to also ensure anchoring in the hospital organization. CONCLUSIONS Interventions, even evidence-based, have little impact if not actively used. This study illustrates how user-centered design and service design can be applied to identify and incorporate essential stakeholder aspects in the entire design and development process. In combination with evidence-based concepts, this process facilitated development of a stress management intervention truly designed for the end users, in this case, cancer survivors. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02939612; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02939612 (Archived at WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/71l9HcfcB)

scholarly journals Does a Community-Based Stress Management Intervention Affect Psychological Adaptation Among Underserved Black Breast Cancer Survivors?

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (50) ◽  
pp. 315-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne C. Lechner ◽  
Nicole E. Whitehead ◽  
Sara Vargas ◽  
Debra W. Annane ◽  
Belinda R. Robertson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Stress Management ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Psychological Adaptation ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Management Intervention ◽  
Stress Management Intervention

scholarly journals Efficacy of meaning-centered group psychotherapy for cancer survivors: a randomized controlled trial

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 1990-2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. van der Spek ◽  
J. Vos ◽  
C. F. van Uden-Kraan ◽  
W. Breitbart ◽  
P. Cuijpers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Group Psychotherapy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Personal Meaning ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Mental Adjustment

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of meaning-centered group psychotherapy for cancer survivors (MCGP-CS) to improve personal meaning, compared with supportive group psychotherapy (SGP) and care as usual (CAU).MethodA total of 170 cancer survivors were randomly assigned to one of the three study arms: MCGP-CS (n = 57); SGP (n = 56); CAU (n = 57). The primary outcome measure was the Personal Meaning Profile (PMP; total score). Secondary outcome measures were subscales of the PMP, psychological well-being (Scales of Psychological Well-being; SPWB), post-traumatic growth (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory), Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC), optimism (Life Orientation Test-Revised), hopelessness (Beck's Hopelessness Scale), psychological distress (anxiety and depression, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HADS) and quality of life (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire; EORTC QLQ-C30). Outcome measures were assessed before randomization, post-intervention, and after 3 and 6 months of follow-up (FU).ResultsLinear mixed model analyses (intention-to-treat) showed significant differences between MCGP-CS, SGP and CAU on the total PMP score, and on (sub)scales of the PMP, SPWB, MAC and HADS. Post-hoc analyses showed significantly stronger treatment effects of MCGP-CS compared with CAU on personal meaning (d = 0.81), goal-orientedness (d = 1.07), positive relations (d = 0.59), purpose in life (d = 0.69); fighting spirit (d = 0.61) (post-intervention) and helpless/hopeless (d = −0.87) (3 months FU); and distress (d = −0.6) and depression (d = −0.38) (6 months FU). Significantly stronger effects of MCGP-CS compared with SGP were found on personal growth (d = 0.57) (3 months FU) and environmental mastery (d = 0.66) (6 months FU).ConclusionsMCGP-CS is an effective intervention for cancer survivors to improve personal meaning, psychological well-being and mental adjustment to cancer in the short term, and to reduce psychological distress in the long run.

scholarly journals Results from a randomized controlled trial testing StressProffen ; an application‐based stress‐management intervention for cancer survivors

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 3775-3785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elin Børøsund ◽  
Shawna L. Ehlers ◽  
Cecilie Varsi ◽  
Matthew M. Clark ◽  
Michael A. Andrykowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Stress Management ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Management Intervention ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Stress Management Intervention ◽  
Trial Testing

Not Just Tools to Handle It: A Qualitative Study of Nursing Students’ Experiences From Participating in a Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management Intervention

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 922-929
Author(s):  
Ulrik Terp ◽  
Birgitta Bisholt ◽  
Fredrik Hjärthag
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
Stress Management ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Nurse Education ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral ◽  
Stress Management Training ◽  
Management Intervention ◽  
Stress Management Intervention ◽  
Management Interventions

Background. Stress-related problems are an increasing challenge within nurse education since it affects learning, professional development, and mental health negatively. Despite this, knowledge is scarce regarding nursing students’ experiences of being in stress management interventions. Aim. This study aimed to describe how nursing students experienced a preventive cognitive behavioral therapy–based stress management intervention. Method. Data were collected through 14 semistructured interviews with nursing students who had participated in a stress management intervention, and analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis. Results. The analysis yielded one theme, Turning points, which consisted of four categories: (1) more in touch with reality, (2) increased self-confidence, (3) improved communication skills, and (4) a new way of reflecting. Discussion. Findings emphasize the importance of both theoretical and structural aspects when planning a stress management training intervention. A group format delivery in combination with a multicomponent cognitive behavioral intervention can be interrelated elements for positive stress–related changes. Conclusion. Our findings indicate that participants developed new and more adaptive coping strategies, which were attributed to the intervention. The participants expressed that they had increased their ability to reflect, which led to increased insight and self-reflection. The intervention constitutes an example of a contribution to stress management research and provides information for stress management training initiatives in nurse education.

Stress Management Intervention: A Pilot Evaluation in an Urban Adolescent Medicine Clinic

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 700-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly Burkhart ◽  
Elizabeth Mason ◽  
Rina Lazebnik
Keyword(s):  
Stress Management ◽  
Internalizing Symptoms ◽  
The Body ◽  
Progressive Muscle Relaxation ◽  
Adolescent Medicine ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Management Intervention ◽  
Medicine Clinic ◽  
Time Stress ◽  
Stress Management Intervention

Thirty patients aged 11 to 21 years presenting in an adolescent medicine clinic received a one-time stress management intervention. The intervention included psychoeducation on the effect stress has on the body and the positive benefits of exercise, diaphragmatic breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation. The intervention also included use of a biofeedback game to aid in relaxation. Analyses revealed an association between higher levels of internalizing symptoms and perceived stress. A clinically significant decrease in subjective distress was endorsed at post-intervention. Ninety-three percent of participants reported that the intervention was helpful and that they had the requisite knowledge to practice stress management strategies outside of the clinic. At a one-week follow-up, of the 23 participants who were able to be reached, 22 wanted to participate in additional training. Findings suggest that a one-time stress management intervention can be beneficial for patients and easily incorporated within a primary care setting.

scholarly journals A Feasibility Study Of A Cognitive Behavioral Based Stress Management Intervention For Nursing Students: Results, Challenges, And Implications For Research And Practice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrik Terp ◽  
Birgitta Bisholt ◽  
Fredrik Hjärthag
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Education ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Stress Management ◽  
Nurse Education ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Stress Management Training ◽  
Management Intervention ◽  
Stress Management Intervention ◽  
Management Interventions

Abstract Background: Stress related psychological problems are growing in nursing education and constitute an essential challenge for educators. This makes research about strategies and interventions to meet these problems important. Before implementing stress management interventions, they need to be tested for feasibility and acceptability before conducting large scale RCTs. The objective of our study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a newly developed cognitive behavioral stress management intervention for nursing students. Methods: Data were collected using a combination of standardized measurements and newly created questionnaires in combination with qualitative data. Our data included recruitment capability, sample characteristics, intervention acceptability and preliminary evaluation of participant psychological changes. Results: Findings suggested that the feasibility of conducting a full-scale evaluation was confirmed for recruitment, acceptability, data collection, and adherence to the intervention. However, difficulties relating to homework were also identified. The intervention was found feasible and acceptable to nursing students and a potential intervention for the nurse education context. Conclusions: Overall, this study provides an insight into the challenges and complexities of developing and evaluating a new brief cognitive behavioral based stress management training intervention in a nurse education setting. Support in the organization and scheduling are important aspects of implementation. In order to deal with the challenge of stress-related problems in nursing education, the thresholds for participation in effective interventions need to be low.

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