Engaging Men in Psychosocial Cancer Support

Background: Despite increasing rates of cancer survivorship, there is still evidence to suggest men are less likely to access information services, health services and cancer screening. Men may be more reticent to express their emotions in relation to health and specifically in relation to cancer; and so it is important to ensure that services offer different routes to inclusion. Maggie´s ( www.maggiescentres.org ) is an innovative, multidisciplinary, health professional led model of holistic supportive cancer care, widely regarded as an exemplar of best practice in cancer rehabilitation and supported self-management. In 2017 Maggie´s received 249,247 visits across their network of twenty-three centres in the UK, Hong Kong and Tokyo. One of the key challenges for Maggie´s and others is to develop sustainable, innovative and equitable approaches to supportive care. Aim: To explore whether male-specific facilitated support groups provide a constructive environment within which men can engage with health professional led holistic cancer services. Methods: Men (n=39) with a range of cancers (including curative and noncurative) from varied socioeconomic backgrounds, attending male-specific facilitated support groups at eight Maggie's Centres in the UK completed questionnaires to give feedback on the social, emotional, practical and informational support the groups aim to provide. A smaller subset of group members (n=12) participated in focus group discussions to capture themes about why men attend the groups. The group facilitators were interviewed to provide observations about the impact of the groups on both the participants and themselves. Results: Men in the facilitated support groups report high levels of satisfaction in relation to practical (94.8%), emotional (95.2%) and social (90.47%) and informational support (92.50%). Thematic analysis of the smaller subset of focus group data suggest reasons why men attend male-specific support groups including “reducing isolation and developing a sense of belonging”, “creating shared experience and understanding”, “safely expressing emotion”, “protecting loved ones from distress” and “use of male specific language and humor”. Conclusion: Globally, the supportive care needs of men affected by cancer are changing but the Maggie´s model of care offers valuable lessons that can be generalized across varied support settings to meet these emerging needs. The current study underlines the importance of engaging and supporting men throughout the cancer experience through the use of professionally facilitated support groups that discuss themes tailored to the challenges the men face and maximize the opportunity for acceptable social support. Further controlled longitudinal research is required to build on these findings.

Download Full-text

Revamping the delivery of cancer support, education, and wellness programming during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2021.39.15_suppl.e24127 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. e24127-e24127

Author(s):

Lisa Capparella ◽

Ana Maria Lopez ◽

Kristine Naputo ◽

C. Virginia Virginia O'Hayer ◽

Gregory D. Garber ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Supportive Care ◽

Support Groups ◽

Effective Means ◽

Cancer Center ◽

Care Needs ◽

Care Services ◽

Cancer Support ◽

Perceived Quality Of Life ◽

History Of ◽

The Impact

e24127 Background: Supportive care is considered essential to standard care for patients with a history of cancer. The interdisciplinary team at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC) of Thomas Jefferson University, an NCI-designated cancer center in Philadelphia, offers a robust variety of supportive care services including support groups, educational and wellness programs. SKCC includes four academic hubs across the Greater Philadelphia region. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent statewide shutdown of services, SKCC quickly pivoted to virtual offerings, to address patients’ supportive care needs. Recent research has shown patients self-reporting higher incidence of anxiety and loneliness due to the pandemic. Direct patient feedback identified programs of greatest need, the preferred times and format. Methods: At the beginning of the pandemic SKCC offered a program “Coping with Cancer and Covid-19: as You Navigate Cancer Treatment.” This program helped patients understand their risk of COVID-19 and provided emotional support as patients and caregivers began facing loneliness. Additional virtual offerings included Mindfulness Sessions, Yoga, Stretching for Stress Relief, Healing through Humor. SKCC began evaluating the impact of the programming beginning in June 2020. Attendees completed surveys evaluating the presentation, their level of psychological distress, perceived quality of life, and feelings of hope, loneliness, and connection. Participants were asked if they would attend another program and were asked to rate the program on a Likert scale. Results: In 2019 SKCC offered 273 programs and attracted 984 participants. Only 90 of the 984 participants attended virtually prior to the pandemic. Since the start of the pandemic, SKCC has hosted 334 programs, all virtually, with 3,346 participants. Surveys were sent electronically and completed immediately after the completion of all support programs offered at SKCC. 40% of program participants’ completed an evaluation form and 94% rated the program exceptional or very good. Overall, 88% of participants in virtual wellness, support groups and educational programs indicated they would attend another program offered by SKCC. Conclusions: Virtual supportive care offerings have engaged more patients and caregivers than ever across SKCC hubs and have proven an effective means to continue to support patients during the pandemic. It is important to continue to evaluate and create meaningful programs to match the ongoing needs of patients and caregivers.[Table: see text]

Download Full-text

The Influence of Dynamic Perspectives on Poverty Analysis and Anti-Poverty Policy in the UK

Journal of Social Policy ◽

10.1017/s0047279404007731 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 395-416 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

PETE ALCOCK

Keyword(s):

Dynamic Analysis ◽

Social Relations ◽

Longitudinal Research ◽

Policy Intervention ◽

Structure And Agency ◽

Dynamic Perspective ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact ◽

Academic Debate

This article provides an overview of the academic debates and recent research on the dynamic perspective on poverty and anti-poverty policy. Renewed theoretical interest in dynamic analysis is discussed in the context of the more general debate about the roles of structure and agency in social relations. This is followed by a brief outline of some of the new empirical datasets now available for longitudinal research, in particular in the UK. The implications of dynamic analysis for our understanding of poverty are summarised, followed by a discussion of the impact of this on anti-poverty policy, again drawing largely on the UK, and some specifically English, developments. The article concludes that dynamic analysis and the role of agency has had a significant impact on both academic debate and policy intervention on poverty, but that this should not be interpreted as leading to an abandonment of policies for structural reform aimed at redistributing resources to the poor.

Download Full-text

Delivering More Effective Lung Cancer Support Groups: Applying Best Practices From the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia to Strengthen Skills and Inspire Facilitators

Journal of Global Oncology ◽

10.1200/jgo.18.32300 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽

pp. 177s-177s

Author(s):

M. Rigney

Keyword(s):

Lung Cancer ◽

Support Groups ◽

Support Group ◽

The United States ◽

Lung Cancer Patients ◽

Cancer Support ◽

Cancer Support Groups ◽

The Us ◽

Cancer Support Group ◽

The Uk

Background and context: Globally, 1.8 million people are diagnosed with lung cancer annually. Compared with other cancers, lung cancer patients experience higher levels of distress and greater unmet physical and emotional needs. A significant unmet need is social support. Face-to-face support groups can meet this need and may also may increase feelings of control and decrease distress. While lung cancer patients tend to prefer lung cancer-specific over general cancer groups, for many reasons these groups can be challenging to start and maintain. As a result, there are not enough groups available to meet the need. Aim: To provide guidance to those with struggling lung cancer groups, facilitators on three continents were surveyed to better understand their challenges and elicit creative ideas, collect practical tips and gather best practices for starting and maintaining successful lung cancer support groups. Strategy/Tactics: To understand the experiences of lung cancer facilitators, direct feedback was needed. To identify facilitators, member organizations of the Global Lung Cancer Coalition (GLCC) were tapped. Comprised of 37 charity organizations, GLCC is the international “voice” of the lung cancer community. Three GLCC organizations (one each from the United States-US, United Kingdom-UK and Australia-AUS) that either directly offer lung cancer support groups or manage networks of groups, agreed to participate. Program/Policy process: A 21 question online survey was sent to 131 support group facilitators, 7 in AUS, 42 in the UK and 82 in the US. Questions included length of time the group had been running, how often it met, average number of participants and other group/facilitator characteristics. Respondents were asked to identify their greatest challenges in group maintenance and solutions used to overcome those challenges. Knowledge gained from the survey and an extensive literature review were incorporated into the Lung Cancer Support Group Troubleshooting Guide. Outcomes: With a 56% completion rate, specific results varied by demographic area. Groups in AUS and the UK tended to have more participants, were more likely to be cofacilitated by nurses and held in public places. More groups in the US were based in hospitals and run by social workers. 75% of facilitators in the UK and AUS and 71% of those in the US said their groups were successful. What was learned: Creative solutions to lung cancer support group challenges were shared and keys to successful groups identified. Suitable for facilitators at all skills levels, the resulting Guide includes creative solutions for overcoming specific barriers and resource constraints. Widely distributed in the US, a small survey found that 91% of Guide users found it somewhat or very helpful. While written for lung cancer groups, any kind of support group, anywhere in the world that is struggling can benefit from the suggestions and ideas offered by the Guide.

Download Full-text

A Qualitative Evaluation of the Impact of the First Love Yourself (FLY) Women’s Support Group

International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS) ◽

10.11591/.v5i2.4774 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 123

Author(s):

Valerie Blackmon ◽

Chalenna Cassell ◽

Cathy Gilbert McElderry ◽

Olawunmi Obisesan

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Focus Group ◽

Qualitative Analysis ◽

Support Groups ◽

Support Group ◽

Qualitative Evaluation ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Focus Group Study ◽

And Coping ◽

The Impact

Research has shown that social support groups not only have significant effects on the physical and mental health of individuals, but can also be used as predictors of health outcomes. It is, therefore, important that social workers and other public health professionals are aware of the social support groups that exist in communities so as to find ways to utilize these to meet health needs. The study aims to explore the First Love Yourself (FLY) group, an empowerment-based support group specifically designed to meet the needs of Healthy Start consumers, parents and consortium members. A qualitative analysis of the data gathered from this focus group study yielded several key themes. While participants described finding other community resources helpful, they reported having no other outlet for confidential self-expression and connection to peers other than the FLY group. Group members also reported having improved self-esteem, relationships with their children, partners, and family, and ability to cope as a result of participation in the group. Participants further described gaining knowledge and learning skills that were helpful. This included learning parenting, communication, stress and anger management, budgeting, goal-setting and coping skills and techniques. Finally, qualitative analysis of the data gained from the focus group with participants and the group leader revealed the presence of all 11 curative factors described by Yalom (2005). The primary areas for improvement noted by the group and its leader were related to the frequency of group meetings. Both audiences indicated that additional sessions would be beneficial.

Download Full-text

Paralympic Broadcasting and Social Change: An Integrated Mixed Method Approach to Understanding the Paralympic Audience in the UK

Television & New Media ◽

10.1177/15274764211004407 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 152747642110044

Author(s):

Emma Pullen ◽

Daniel Jackson ◽

Michael Silk

Keyword(s):

Social Change ◽

Focus Group ◽

Empirical Analysis ◽

Mixed Method ◽

Methodological Approach ◽

Disabled People ◽

The Uk ◽

Mega Event ◽

The Impact ◽

Method Approach

Despite the successful transition of the Paralympics from relative obscurity to global mega-event, we still know little about how it is consumed by audiences. Using a methodological approach that draws on survey ( n = 2008) and focus group ( n = 216) data from Paralympic audiences across the UK, this study provides the first mixed method and integrated empirical analysis of Paralympic audiences to date. We attempt to identify who the UK Paralympic audience is, before examining audience perceptions of Paralympic coverage, and the impact of watching the Paralympics on audience sentiments toward disabled people in sporting and everyday contexts.

Download Full-text

The impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on the experiences and feeding practices of new mothers in the UK: Preliminary data from the COVID-19 New Mum Study

10.1101/2020.06.17.20133868 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Adriana Vazquez ◽

Sarah Dib ◽

Emeline Rougeaux ◽

Jonathan Wells ◽

Mary Fewtrell

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Professional ◽

Research Centre ◽

Delivery Mode ◽

Breastfeeding Initiation ◽

Street Hospital ◽

Great Ormond Street Hospital ◽

Skin Contact ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID-19 New Mum Study is recording maternal experiences and infant feeding during the period of UK lockdown. This report from week 1 of the survey aims to (1) provide information relevant for those supporting this population; (2) identify groups currently under-represented in the survey.MethodsWomen living in the UK aged ≥18 years with an infant ≤12 months of age completed an anonymous online survey (https://is.gd/covid19newmumstudy). Information/links are shared via websites, social media and existing contacts.ResultsBetween May 27th and June 3rd 2020, 1365 women provided data (94% white, 95% married/with partner, 66% degree/higher qualification, 86% living in house; 1049 (77%) delivered before lockdown (BL) and 316 (23%) during lockdown (DL). Delivery mode, skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding initiation did not differ between groups. DL women had shorter hospital stays (p<0.001) and 39% reported changes to their birth plan. Reflecting younger infant age, 59% of DL infants were exclusively breast-fed or mixed fed versus 39% of BL (p<0.05). Thirteen % reported a change in feeding; often related to lack of breastfeeding support, especially with practical problems. Important sources of feeding support were the partner (60%), health professional (50%) and online groups (47%). 45% of DL women reported insufficient support with feeding. Among BL women, 57% and 69% reported decreased feeding support and childcare, respectively. 40% BL/45% DL women reported insufficient support with their own health, 8%/9% contacted a mental health professional and 11% reported their mental health was affected. 9% highlighted lack of contact and support from family and distress that they had missed seeing the baby.ConclusionLockdown has had an impact on maternal experiences, resulting in distress for many women. Survey participants are currently not representative of the population; notably, groups at greater risk are under-represented. Increasing the diversity of participants is a priority.Survey fundingNone. All research at Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health is made possible by the NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.

Download Full-text

Examining Veterans’ Interactions with the UK Social Security System through a Trauma-Informed Lens

Journal of Social Policy ◽

10.1017/s0047279420000719 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-18

Author(s):

LISA SCULLION ◽

KATHERINE CURCHIN

Keyword(s):

Social Security ◽

Psychosocial Functioning ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Longitudinal Research ◽

Social Security System ◽

Security System ◽

Trauma Informed Care ◽

Trauma Informed ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

Abstract This paper uses the principles of trauma-informed care – safety, collaboration, choice, trustworthiness, and respect – to reflect on the quality of veterans’ treatment within the UK social security system. Drawing upon new data from qualitative longitudinal research with veterans in four geographical locations across England, UK, it explores their experiences within the social security system, highlighting specific issues relating to their interactions with the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) but also the conditionality inherent within the UK benefits system. Overall, it is evident that there is a lack of understanding of the impact of trauma on people’s psychosocial functioning and, as a result, veterans are treated in ways which are variously perceived as disrespectful, unfair or disempowering and in some cases exacerbate existing mental health problems. We propose that the application of trauma-informed care principles to the UK social security system could improve interactions within this system and avoid re-traumatising those experiencing on-going or unresolved trauma. The paradigm of trauma-informed care has been used internationally to examine health, homelessness, prison and childcare services, but ours is the first exploration of its application to the delivery of social security.

Download Full-text

P-OGC55 Current treatment modalities and median survival for patients with gastric and oesophagogastric cancers with isolated peritoneal metastasis

British Journal of Surgery ◽

10.1093/bjs/znab430.183 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 108 (Supplement_9) ◽

Author(s):

Adler Shing Chak Ma ◽

Stephen Lam ◽

Eman Otify ◽

Abdulfatah Yousfi ◽

Adam Stearns ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Supportive Care ◽

Gastric Adenocarcinoma ◽

Median Survival ◽

Systemic Chemotherapy ◽

Best Supportive Care ◽

Peritoneal Metastases ◽

Treatment Modalities ◽

Peritoneal Disease ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Gastric cancer with peritoneal metastases carries a median survival of only 3-7 months without treatment. Meanwhile, cancers arising from the oesophago-gastric junction (OGJ) are rapidly increasing in incidence in the Western population and are also commonly associated with peritoneal metastases. In order to measure the efficacy of emerging modes of treatment for peritoneal disease, it is essential to describe the treatments patients currently receive and the impact of these on survival – data for which is poorly described in the literature and lacking in the UK setting. Methods This was a single hospital-based retrospective cohort study covering the period from March 2012 to January 2020 at a tertiary referral centre. 50 patients were identified from multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting records receiving a diagnosis of gastric adenocarcinoma with isolated peritoneal disease. 31 patients were identified receiving a diagnosis of true (Siewert II or III) junctional adenocarcinoma with isolated peritoneal disease. We calculated median survival time for all patients and also by treatment modality. Results Mean age of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma and isolated peritoneal disease was 71 years (range 44-90). Overall median survival was 6.6 months (IQR 2.4-19.3). Median survival was 11.2 months (IQR 3.7-21.5) for patients receiving systemic chemotherapy (n = 26) and 2.4 months (IQR 1.2-5.1) for patients receiving best supportive care alone (n = 15). Mean age of patients with junctional adenocarcinomas and isolated peritoneal disease was 70 years (range 37-89). Overall median survival was 7 months (IQR 3-19). Median survival was 10.5 months (IQR 6.5-20.5) for patients receiving systemic chemotherapy (n = 20) and 3.5 months (IQR 2-6) for patients receiving best supportive care alone (n = 6). Conclusions Our results demonstrate the poor prognosis of both gastric and oesophagogastric cancer patients with isolated peritoneal disease. Prognosis figures are comparable between the two cancer types. Findings are in line with previous studies performed outside the UK which have shown that available treatments extend survival by no more than 3-9 months, highlighting the desperate need for new treatment modalities.

Download Full-text

Pulled in and pushed out of politics: The impact of neoliberalism on young people’s differing political consumerist motivations in the UK and Greece

International Political Science Review ◽

10.1177/0192512120935521 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 019251212093552

Author(s):

Georgios Kyroglou ◽

Matt Henn

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Focus Group ◽

Electoral Politics ◽

The Political ◽

Political Consumerism ◽

Political Actors ◽

Political Outcomes ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Political consumerism refers to citizens’ use of boycotting and buycotting as they seek to influence political outcomes within the marketplace rather than through more traditional routes such as voting. However, given the pressure that neoliberalist forces exert on the marketplace, the lack of literature problematising the relationship between political consumerism and neoliberalism is somewhat surprising. Addressing this gap, we examine how neoliberalism impacts youth political consumerism in the UK and Greece. Focus-group findings suggest the existence of two inter-connected effects. Firstly, we detect a neoliberal ‘push effect’ away from electoral politics. Secondly, we discern a parallel ‘pull effect’ as young people seek the ‘political’ within the marketplace. In Greece, youth political consumerism seems to result primarily from distrust of institutional political actors. In contrast, young political consumers in the UK appear to be principally driven by confidence in the capacity of the market to respond to their pressing needs.

Download Full-text