Badger, T., Segrin, C., Dorros, S.M., Meek, P., & Lopez, A.M. (2007). Depression and anxiety in women with breast cancer and their partners. Nursing Research, 56, 44–53.

This intervention provided telephone-delivered psychosocial interventions.

One group received six weeks of telephone-delivered counseling (TIP-C) sessions based on interpersonal psychotherapy/counseling principles, covering the following topics.

• Cancer education
• Social support
• Awareness and management of anxiety symptoms
• Role transitions

These phone calls averaged 34 minutes.

A second group received six weeks of telephone-delivered, self-managed exercise protocol information. The exercise protocol consisted of engaging in regular, low-impact exercise (e.g., walking for a prescribed number of minutes at least four times per week). These phone calls averaged 11 minutes.

A third group received six weeks of attention control (AC) printed information about breast cancer with brief weekly phone calls averaging seven minutes. This group did not receive counseling or encouragement to exercise.

Data were collected at baseline (T1), one week after the final call (T2), and one month after the final call (T3).

• The study reported on a convenience sample of 96 women with breast cancer and 96 partners (N = 192).
• Participants were randomized to three groups, stratified by stage and treatment.
  • Group 1 consisted of 38 women and 38 partners.
  • Group 2 consisted of 21 women and 19 partners.
  • Group 3 consisted of 33 women and 30 partners.
• There were no significant differences between groups for treatment, stage, history of depression, participation in support groups or counseling, and use of antidepressants or antianxiety medications.

The study used an experimental design: three-wave repeated measures with a between-subjects factor (treatment group).

• Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) PLUS
• Index of Clinical Stress to make eight-item composite index of anxiety
• Instruments used have established reliability and validity.

Both telephone counseling and exercise conditions helped to significantly reduce anxiety in women and their partners (p < 0.001). The AC group did not evidence the same improvement in decreased anxiety, and their partners’ anxiety scores increased. The authors reported mixed-model ANOVA significant effect for time (p = 0.001), no significant main effect for treatment group, and significant group x time interaction (p = 0.01).

The intervention required special training needs of a psychiatric nurse counselor with oncology expertise to deliver the telephone counseling sessions. These 34-minute (on average) phone calls per weekly session (x 2—one per patient and one per partner) required more than one hour per week per couple of time to deliver the intervention.