Improving quality of life in men with prostate cancer: a randomized controlled trial of group education interventions.
Men who were recently treated for prostate cancer (N=250) were randomly assigned to a control group, a group education intervention (GE), or a group education-plus-discussion intervention (GED). Both GE and GED increased prostate cancer knowledge. In the year postintervention, men in the GED condition were less bothered by sexual problems than men in the control condition, and they were more likely to remain steadily employed (93.0%) than men in the GE (75.6%) or control (72.5%) conditions. Among noncollege graduates, GED and GE resulted in better physical functioning than the control condition, and GED resulted in more positive health behaviors than the control or GE condition. Among college graduates, controls were comparable with the GE and GED groups in physical functioning and positive health behaviors.
Lepore
Stephen J
SJ
Columbia University, Teachers College, Department of Health & Behavior Studies, New York, NY 10027, USA. lepore@tc.columbia.edu
Helgeson
Vicki S
VS
Eton
David T
DT
Schulz
Richard
R
D000368:Aged; D006126:Group Processes; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support