Facilitating research participation and improving quality of life for African American prostate cancer survivors and their intimate partners. A pilot study of telephone-based coping skills training.

African American men experience worse prostate cancer outcomes compared with those of Caucasian men, not only in incidence and mortality rates, but also in coping with the side effects of treatment. Unfortunately, African American men have been significantly under-represented in research evaluating the efficacy of psychosocial interventions for improving coping in prostate cancer survivors. This pilot study explored the feasibility and efficacy of coping skills training (CST), an intervention developed to enhance coping with treatment side effects in a sample of African American prostate cancer survivors and their intimate partners. The intervention was delivered in a telephone-based format designed to facilitate research participation. A total of 40 couples were randomized to either 6 sessions of CST or usual care. Survivors completed measures of disease-specific quality of life (QOL) related to urinary, sexual, bowel, and hormonal symptom domains, as well as measures of global QOL (i.e., physical functioning and mental health). Partners completed measures of caregiver strain, mood, and vigor. Analysis of data from 30 couples (12 couples in CST, 18 couples in usual care) indicated that CST produced moderate to large treatment effects for QOL related to bowel, urinary, sexual, and hormonal symptoms. Partners who underwent CST reported less caregiver strain, depression, and fatigue, and more vigor, with moderate effect sizes observed that approached conventional levels of statistical significance. These preliminary findings suggest that telephone-based CST is a feasible approach that can successfully enhance coping inAfrican American prostate cancer survivors and their intimate partners. Cancer 2007. (c) 2006 American Cancer Society.

Prostate cancer in African Americans: relationship of patient and partner self-efficacy to quality of life.

This study examined the relationship between patient and partner ratings of self-efficacy for symptom control and quality of life (QOL) among 40 African American prostate cancer survivors and their intimate partners. Data analyses revealed that cancer survivors who had rated their self-efficacy for symptom control higher reported better QOL related to urinary, bowel, and hormonal symptoms and better general health QOL (i.e., better physical functioning and better mental health). Data analyses also revealed that partners who rated their self-efficacy for helping the patient manage symptoms as higher reported better QOL (i.e., less negative mood and less caregiver strain). Finally, exploratory analyses indicated that higher self-efficacy in patients was associated with less anxiety and caregiver strain in partners, and higher self-efficacy in partners was associated with better adjustment to bowel and hormonal symptoms and better mental health in patients. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed and future directions for research on self-efficacy in African American prostate cancer survivors are identified.