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Psychological intervention targeting distress for cancer patients: a meta‐analytic study investigating uptake and adherence
Author(s) -
Brebach Rachel,
Sharpe Louise,
Costa Daniel S. J.,
Rhodes Paul,
Butow Phyllis
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
psycho‐oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.41
H-Index - 137
eISSN - 1099-1611
pISSN - 1057-9249
DOI - 10.1002/pon.4099
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , medicine , anxiety , distress , medline , intervention (counseling) , cancer , depression (economics) , meta analysis , psycinfo , clinical psychology , psychiatry , political science , law , economics , macroeconomics
Abstract Objective Although cancer care guidelines recommend screening for distress among cancer patients and offering psychological support when indicated, many patients decline offers of such support. This study aimed to quantify uptake and adherence to psychological support and to identify predictors of each. Methods Searches were conducted in Embase, Medline, PsychInfo and Scopus to identify studies reporting uptake or adherence rates for individual psychological interventions targeting distress, anxiety or depression for cancer patients or survivors. Results Across the 53 included studies reporting uptake and/or adherence rates for 12 323 cancer patients, the uptake and adherence rates were 60.1% and 90.4%, respectively. Patients screened and identified as distressed were less likely to accept intervention than unselected patients (50.3% compared with 66.3%, Q (1) = 4.66, P = 0.031). Uptake of therapy was higher for interventions delivered by telephone rather than face‐to‐face (71.2% compared with 53.8%, Q (1) = 4.91, P = 0.027) and when therapy was offered prior to medical treatment compared with later (72.9% compared with 56.8%, Q (1) = 5.60, P = 0.018). Patients were more likely to accept intervention from nurses than other allied health professionals (68.3% compared with 50.5%, Q (1) = 5.76, P = 0.016). Conclusions Patients appeared more receptive to interventions offered near diagnosis, over the telephone and by nurses. Although this suggests higher acceptability of such interventions, evidence of their greater efficacy is lacking, and this merits further investigation. Research is needed to understand barriers to acceptance of psychological support, particularly because uptake rates were lower for distressed patients. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.