Oh, P.J., & Kim, S.H. (2010). Effects of a brief psychosocial intervention in patients with cancer receiving adjuvant therapy. Oncology Nursing Forum, 37, E98–E104.

To test the effects of a brief psychosocial intervention (BPIC) delivered using CD-ROM on psychosocial and behavioral outcomes in patients with cancer undergoing adjuvant treatment

Participants viewed a 15-minute CD-ROM education program and received a booklet as well as 20 minutes of health education in the first session. A follow-up 15-minute telephone session was delivered one week later. The program focused on health education, coping, and stress management.

• The study reported on a sample of 71 patients with cancer.
• Of the sample, 29.6% were younger than age 50, and 36.6% were older than age 60.
• The sample was 62% female and 38% male.
• Breast cancer was the most frequent diagnosis, followed by lung cancer. A variety of other cancer diagnoses were included.
• More than 50% of the patients were receiving chemotherapy only, and 37% were receiving chemotherapy plus radiation therapy.
• The majority of patients were married (90%), not employed (80%), and had a high school or higher education level.

• Single site
• Outpatient setting
• Korea

Patients were undergoing the active treatment phase of care.

A randomized controlled trial design was used.

• Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) Scale
• Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
• Self-care behavior was assessed with a 20-item tool developed by the author (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.79). Each item was rated 1–7, with higher scores indicating better self-care behavior.

There were no differences between groups for helplessness, hopelessness, anxiety, or depression. There were significant differences in fighting spirit (p = 0.005) and self-care behaviors (p < 0.001) between the two groups. The scores increased in the experimental group but declined in the control group.

Findings support effectiveness of the intervention in improving fighting spirit and self-care behaviors; however, the intervention had no significant effect on anxiety or depression.

• There was a high rate of nonresponders for postintervention measures, which limits the power to detect differences between groups.
• Findings were done four weeks after the initial study session, so long-term benefits are unknown.

Mean anxiety and depression scores at baseline were relatively low, suggesting very limited potential for these outcomes to be significantly improved.