title: Multifaceted psychosocial intervention program for breast cancer patients after first recurrence: feasibility study.
abstract: We developed a novel multifaceted psychosocial intervention program which involves screening for psychological distress and comprehensive support including individually tailored psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy provided by mental health professionals. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of the intervention program and its preliminary usefulness for reducing clinical psychological distress experienced by patients with recurrent breast cancer. The subjects who participated in the 3 months intervention program completed psychiatric diagnostic interview and several self-reported measures regarding psychological distress, traumatic stress, and quality of life. The assessments were conducted before the intervention (T1), after the intervention (T2), and 3 months after the intervention (T3). A total of 50 patients participated in the study. The rates of participation in and adherence to the intervention program were 85 and 86%, respectively. While the proportion of psychiatric disorders at T2 (11.6%) was not significantly different from that at T1 (22.0%) (p = 0.15), the proportion of that at T3 (7.7%) had significantly decreased compared with that at T1 (p = 0.005). The novel intervention program is feasible, is a promising strategy for reducing clinically manifested psychological distress and further controlled studies are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Cognitive-Behavioral Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kawasumi, Nagoya 467-8601, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akechi
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: Shimako
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.forename: Hironobu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Minami
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okuyama
authors.forename: Toshiaki A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uchitomi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents