TY - JOUR
T1 - Protocol for the psychotherapeutic group intervention for facilitating posttraumatic growth in nonmetastatic breast cancer patients
AU - Ramos, Catarina
AU - Leal, Isabel
AU - Tedeschi, Richard G.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Ramos et al.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Background: Breast cancer can be perceived as a traumatic event with disturbing effects on psychological domains such as depression, anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. In contrast, growing evidence has shown that posttraumatic growth can occur as a result of coping with breast cancer. Challenging the assumptive world, deliberate rumination, and emotional disclosure are recognized as strong predictors of posttraumatic growth. Group interventions may also increase social support, distress disclosure, and posttraumatic growth. The aim of this study is to evaluate how group-based interventions can facilitate posttraumatic growth and promote improved psychosocial adjustment to breast cancer. This article describes the study protocol and the applied research methods. Methods: To measure the impact of a group-based intervention on posttraumatic growth, a multi-center randomized control trial was developed for Portuguese breast cancer patients. 205 women with nonmetastatic breast cancer (stages 1 to 3) were recruited for the study and were randomly assigned either to the experimental group, which participated in an 8-session group intervention, or to the control group. Psychosocial variables, which consisted of posttraumatic growth, illness perception, stressfulness of the event, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, core beliefs, rumination, social support, and distress disclosure were measured at three time points. The designated points in time for the assessments were baseline, 6 months post-intervention, and follow-up (12 months after baseline). Discussion: This study is the first trial to assess the efficacy of a group-based intervention designed to facilitate posttraumatic growth following a breast cancer diagnosis. If proven to be effective, group-based intervention could be recommended as a complementary program to be included in hospital health-care and clinical practice.
AB - Background: Breast cancer can be perceived as a traumatic event with disturbing effects on psychological domains such as depression, anxiety, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. In contrast, growing evidence has shown that posttraumatic growth can occur as a result of coping with breast cancer. Challenging the assumptive world, deliberate rumination, and emotional disclosure are recognized as strong predictors of posttraumatic growth. Group interventions may also increase social support, distress disclosure, and posttraumatic growth. The aim of this study is to evaluate how group-based interventions can facilitate posttraumatic growth and promote improved psychosocial adjustment to breast cancer. This article describes the study protocol and the applied research methods. Methods: To measure the impact of a group-based intervention on posttraumatic growth, a multi-center randomized control trial was developed for Portuguese breast cancer patients. 205 women with nonmetastatic breast cancer (stages 1 to 3) were recruited for the study and were randomly assigned either to the experimental group, which participated in an 8-session group intervention, or to the control group. Psychosocial variables, which consisted of posttraumatic growth, illness perception, stressfulness of the event, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, core beliefs, rumination, social support, and distress disclosure were measured at three time points. The designated points in time for the assessments were baseline, 6 months post-intervention, and follow-up (12 months after baseline). Discussion: This study is the first trial to assess the efficacy of a group-based intervention designed to facilitate posttraumatic growth following a breast cancer diagnosis. If proven to be effective, group-based intervention could be recommended as a complementary program to be included in hospital health-care and clinical practice.
KW - Breast cancer
KW - Group intervention
KW - Posttraumatic growth
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85007415315&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12905-016-0302-x
DO - 10.1186/s12905-016-0302-x
M3 - Article
C2 - 27142443
AN - SCOPUS:85007415315
SN - 1472-6874
VL - 16
JO - BMC Women's Health
JF - BMC Women's Health
IS - 1
M1 - 22
ER -