A randomized controlled trial of emotion regulation therapy for cancer caregivers: A mechanism-targeted approach to addressing caregiver distress Journal Article
| Authors: | Applebaum, A. J.; Loschiavo, M.; Morgan, K.; Mennin, D. S.; Fresco, D. M.; Hoyt, M. A.; Schofield, E.; O'Toole, M. S.; Cohn, J.; Jacobs, J. M. |
| Article Title: | A randomized controlled trial of emotion regulation therapy for cancer caregivers: A mechanism-targeted approach to addressing caregiver distress |
| Abstract: | Background: Caregivers of patients with cancer play a crucial role in the health of the person they care for, and in the healthcare system at large. Family caregivers receive minimal support, despite being at greater risk for anxiety and depression than patients themselves. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), an effective therapy for anxiety and depression, has shown mixed efficacy when delivered to cancer caregivers. Emotion Regulation Therapy (ERT), a contemporary CBT, may uniquely target processes underlying distress associated with caregiving. Therefore, we adapted both CBT and ERT to target the needs of caregivers (i.e., CBT-C and ERT-C) and are conducting a multi-site randomized trial to examine the comparative efficacy of these interventions. Methods: Family cancer caregivers (n = 200) reporting distress related to caregiving are recruited from two academic cancer centers and randomly assigned to either ERT-C or CBT-C. Caregivers in both interventions engage in eight weekly one-hour sessions by videoconference with a trained interventionist. Caregiver participants complete study assessments at baseline, post-treatment, 3-and 6-months follow-up. Patients of each caregiver can also enroll in the study and complete assessments at baseline and 3-months follow-up. Outcome measures include psychosocial constructs such as anxiety, depression, quality of life, as well as proposed mechanistic constructs and salivary markers of stress and inflammation. Conclusions: The results of this study will advance the science of caregiving interventions in cancer by addressing a critical gap in our ability to mitigate anxiety and depression in caregivers, as well as further our understanding of how these changes may influence patients' outcomes. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. |
| Keywords: | adult; controlled study; major clinical study; outcome assessment; follow up; quality of life; randomized controlled trial; inflammation; cancer center; depression; distress syndrome; stress; caregiver; anxiety; psychotherapy; caregivers; comparative effectiveness; physiological stress; cognitive behavioral therapy; cancer; human; male; female; article; emotion regulation; care behavior; videoconferencing |
| Journal Title: | Contemporary Clinical Trials |
| Volume: | 122 |
| ISSN: | 1551-7144 |
| Publisher: | Elsevier Inc. |
| Date Published: | 2022-11-01 |
| Start Page: | 106923 |
| Language: | English |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.cct.2022.106923 |
| PUBMED: | 36115638 |
| PROVIDER: | scopus |
| PMCID: | PMC9769581 |
| DOI/URL: | |
| Notes: | Article -- Export Date: 1 November 2022 -- Source: Scopus |
Altmetric
Citation Impact
BMJ Impact Analytics
Related MSK Work