NCT01586546

A Pilot Study To Assess Guidance in and Subsequent Use of Mind-Body Techniques on the Quality of Life of Cancer Patients

Quality of Life Outcomes Following Mind-body Skills Training for Cancer Patients That Are Facilitated Either Face-to-face or Online: A Pilot Study

• Status: Terminated
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 32 (actual)
• Sponsor: Absenger Cancer Education Foundation · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Aim: To answer the questions of whether a Mind-Body Medicine (MBM) skills group facilitated face-to-face and online can improve measures of Quality of Life (QOL) in a population of cancer patients. Value of Study: Technological advances have contributed to new venues for healthcare delivery. It is imperative that these new delivery methods, for individual and/or group psychosocial services are sufficiently tested and validated. Research shows that there is very little knowledge about differences in communication styles between online and face-to-face groups, nor is there much knowledge on the overall efficacy of online groups. Phenomenon Studied: Can MBM skills groups improve the quality of life of cancer patients? Is there a difference in outcome between a MBM skills group delivered face-to-face and a MBM skills group delivered online. Reasons Leading to Proposing the Project: Despite encouraging research showing that psychosocial interventions have positive effects in the lives of cancer patients, more research is needed due to several problems of current research, such as poor study design, lack of use of technological advances and relatively few existing studies on the effectiveness of MBM therapies in the oncological setting. Stated Hypothesis: Hypothesis 1: There is no difference between baseline QOL measures and QOL measures at the end of face-to-face facilitated MBM skills groups. Hypothesis 2: There is no difference between baseline QOL measures and QOL measures at the end of Online facilitated MBM skills groups. Hypothesis 3: Participation in either, online facilitated MBM skills groups or face-to-face facilitated MBM skills groups will improve QOL measures when compared to control group. Hypothesis 4: Patients in the control group (waitlist control, care as usual group) will have no improvement on QOL measures. Anticipated Value to the Larger Community: According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) "…there is a need for reliable, objective, evidence-based information regarding the usefulness and safety-or lack thereof-of CAM" (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2011, p.3). This study will add to general scientific knowledge of CAM and MBM.

Conditions

• Quality of Life
• Life Change Events
• Neoplasms

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Face-to-Face MBM Skills Group	Mind Body Medicine (MBM) Skills Groups provide a means for study participants to learn skills for taking care of themselves in a supportive small group setting. Participants will learn and practice a variety of specific MBM skills. These MBM skills will enable a participant to change the way she/he deals with the wide range of stressors at different stages of her/his cancer journey. Some of these MBM skills are meditation, guided imagery, biofeedback, writing, and drawing. These groups are designed to assist a participant in coming to know themselves better and in learning and using these tools that will help the participant to deal with the distress as only a small percentage of cancer patients in distress receive appropriate support.
OTHER	Waitlist Control I	No intervention offered during study period. Intervention is offered after completion of study.
OTHER	Waitlist Control II	No intervention offered during study period. Intervention is offered after completion of study.
BEHAVIORAL	Online MBM Skills Group	Mind Body Medicine (MBM) Skills Groups provide a means for study participants to learn skills for taking care of themselves in a supportive small group setting. Participants will learn and practice a variety of specific MBM skills. These MBM skills will enable a participant to change the way she/he deals with the wide range of stressors at different stages of her/his cancer journey. Some of these MBM skills are meditation, guided imagery, biofeedback, writing, and drawing. These groups are designed to assist a participant in coming to know themselves better and in learning and using these tools that will help the participant to deal with the distress as only a small percentage of cancer patients in distress receive appropriate support.

Timeline

• Start date: 2012-05-01
• Primary completion: 2012-12-01
• Completion: 2012-12-01
• First posted: 2012-04-27
• Last updated: 2019-07-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States