Promoting Emotional Well-Being in Older Breast Cancer Patients: Results From an eHealth Intervention.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, with increases in diagnoses at all ages. Due to several age-related factors, older breast cancer patients show particular difficulties in adjusting to breast cancer and its related treatments. One consistent indicator of vulnerability to long-term complications is emotional distress occurring within 3 months of diagnosis. Thus, it is critical to develop early interventions specifically aimed at mitigating distress and promoting emotional wellbeing in older breast cancer patients. By taking advantage of the opportunities of online interventions, the present study aimed to test the efficacy of a 2 weeks e-health stress inoculation training (SIT) intervention on emotion regulation and cancer-related well-being, compared with a control group without such intervention. Twenty-nine women with a diagnosis of breast cancer, who had received radical surgery and who were suitable candidates for adjuvant chemotherapy with anthracyclines and taxanes (mean age = 62.76; SD = 6.19) voluntarily took part in the current study after giving written informed consent. To test intervention efficacy, self-report questionnaires were administered to all participants at baseline, at the end of the 2 weeks intervention, and 3 months after the end of the intervention. Results showed that after 2 weeks of ehealth intervention, patients did not achieve significant change, however, they significantly reduced emotional suppression and increased cancer-related emotional well-being 3 months after the end of the intervention. Furthermore, by monitoring at a distance the emotional experience during the online intervention, we found an increase in relaxation and a reduction of anxiety. Finally, patients in the experimental group reported a good level of acceptance of the ehealth intervention. To conclude, designing and developing eHealth interventions as part of the regular care path for breast cancer patients of all ages represents both a challenge and an opportunity; in particular, online interventions can be an important step in universal psychosocial care within a tiered model of care.

Self-help stress management training through mobile phones: an experience with oncology nurses.

Although all professions are susceptible to work-related stress, the nursing profession has been identified as particularly stressful; indeed, oncology nursing is often described as being among the most stressful specialty areas. The current study tested the short-term effects of an innovative self-help stress management training for oncology nurses supported by mobile tools. The sample included 30 female oncology nurses with permanent status employed in six oncology hospitals in Milan, Italy. The stress inoculation training (SIT) methodology served as the basis of the training, with the innovative challenge being the use of mobile phones to support the stress management experience. To test the efficacy of the protocol, the study used a between-subjects design, comparing the experimental condition (SIT through mobile phones) with a control group (neutral video through mobile phones). The findings indicated psychological improvement of the experimental group in terms of anxiety state, anxiety trait reduction, and coping skills acquisition. This paper discusses implications for the implementation of this protocol in several contexts.

The effects of a mobile stress management protocol on nurses working with cancer patients: a preliminary controlled study.

Oncology nurses face extraordinary stresses that may lead to emotional exhaustion, a feeling of emotional distance from patients and burnout. The presentation describes the preliminary results of a study to test the effects of an innovative 4-week 8-session self-help stress management training for oncology nurses supported by mobile tools (Nokia N70 smarthphone). The sample included 16 female oncology nurses with permanent status employed in different oncology hospitals in Milan, Italy. The study used a between-subjects design, comparing the experimental condition (mobile phone stress management protocol) with a control group (neutral videos through mobile phones). In addition to a significant reduction in anxiety state at the end of each session, the experimental group demonstrated a significant improvement in affective change in terms of anxiety trait reduction and coping skills acquisition at the end of the protocol.