title: Efficacy of a stress management program for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma receiving transcatheter arterial embolization.
abstract: Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE), a common treatment for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), can provoke severe physical discomfort and psychologic stress. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a combination of health education, muscle relaxation, and back massage on reducing physical and psychologic stress in HCC patients receiving TAE. A quasi-experimental design was used. Forty patients with HCC (30 men and 10 women) with a mean age of 57 +/- 12 years were recruited and randomly assigned to the control or experimental group. The effectiveness of the stress management program was evaluated using a knowledge questionnaire, a worry inventory, a state-trait anxiety inventory, and a physical distress scale. After completing the stress management program, the experimental group had a greater mean increase in knowledge score than the control group (5.1 vs 0.8, p < 0.0001) and a greater mean decrease in worry score (-8.2 vs 1.1, p < 0.0001). The mean decrease in the anxiety score in the experimental group was also significantly greater than in the control group before TAE (-5.8 vs 3.2, p < 0.001) and 2, 4, 6, and 7 days after TAE (-8.2 vs 7.1, p < 0.001; -8.7 vs 3.2, p < 0.001; -9.8 vs -2.1, p < 0.05; -11 vs -0.9, p < 0.05). The patients in the experimental group had a smaller mean increase in physical distress score than the control group at 2, 4, 6, and 7 days after TAE (34.7 vs 50.2, 20.9 vs 29.6, 10.6 vs 18.2, 3.9 vs 11.2, all p < 0.05). This stress management program effectively reduces the stress of HCC patients undergoing TAE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Taipei Medical College Hospital, Taiwan.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Y M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Tsang
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage; D008875:Middle Aged; D009126:Muscle Relaxation; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000628:therapy*