NCT05520281

Short-term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy in Serious Physical Illness

ORPHYS - Short-term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy in Serious Physical Illness

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 24 (actual)
• Sponsor: Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Life-threatening physical illness may powerfully re-activate existential conflict. There is little evidence to date on the effectiveness of relationship-focused therapies in this patient group.The aim of this study is to pilot a psychodynamic treatment for patients with advanced cancer and high psychological distress.

Detailed description

Severely physically ill patients may experience existential distress symptoms including helplessness, hopelessness, death anxiety, perceived burdensomeness and a sense of pointlessness. The latter can significantly interfere with end-of-life care processes and outcomes (receipt of treatment according to preferences, expression of desire for hastened death). So far, empirically tested psychotherapeutic programs in advanced life-threatening illness have predominantly been ultra-short and applied supportive and resource-oriented techniques. Psychodynamic treatment allows to address clinically significant existential distress through its conceptualization from early relational life experiences. The aim of this study is to pilot a psychodynamic treatment for patients with advanced cancer and high psychological distress.The inverstigators will 1. analyse the feasibility of the treatment, and 2. investigate changes in process- and patient-relevant outcomes over the course of the treatment The inverstigators will conduct a single-group pre-post study with five assessment points in which 50 adult patients diagnosed with advanced cancer will receive a manualized psychodynamic short-term therapy. Target parameters are assessed by diagnostic interviews, focus interviews, self-assessment questionnaires as well as electronic patient records. For research objective b) the investigators will compare the intervention group with a matched comparison group of a longitudinal cohort sample (NCT04600206). Matching will be based on stress level, demographic, and medical parameters across the 5 assessment points.

Conditions

• Malignant Neoplasm
• Carcinoma
• Palliative Care

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for patients with serious physical illness (ORPHYS)	A short-term psychodynamic therapy that focuses on the special inner and outer situation of patients with a serious physical illness, especially with regard to the importance of relationships in a limited lifetime.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-09-15
• Primary completion: 2025-08-06
• Completion: 2025-08-06
• First posted: 2022-08-29
• Last updated: 2025-12-15

Locations

4 sites across 1 country: Germany