Providing psychosocial group support for young women with breast cancer: findings from a wellness-based community collaboration.
This article describes our experience offering a collaborative, wellness-based group support program for young women with breast cancer. Goals were (1) to identify needs and priorities of young women with breast cancer; (2) to test the feasibility of a collaboration between an academic medical center, a regional cancer center, and a community-based agency; and (3) to positively influence participants' overall quality of life (QOL), emotional distress, and psychological well-being. The group intervention consisted of presentation of various topics, group discussion, and relaxation exercises. No significant changes on QOL or emotional measures were seen. Participants rated the session on symptom management as most useful and identified two areas for potential improvement (more homogeneity of participants, suggestions for additional topics).
Danhauer
S C
SC
Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Hematology and Oncology, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1082, USA.
Rutherford
C A
CA
Hurt
G
G
Gentry
S
S
Lovato
J
J
McQuellon
R P
RP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011584:Psychology; D012944:Social Support