title: "You need something like this to give you guidelines on what to do": patients' and partners' use and perceptions of a self-directed coping skills training resource.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to report on the acceptability of a self-directed coping skills intervention, called Coping-Together, for patients affected by cancer and their partners, including the strengths and limitations of the intervention design.
  
  
  METHODS
  This initial version of Coping-Together included a series of four booklets, which aimed to provide practical coping strategies for the day-to-day management of common physical and psychosocial challenges. Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 patients and/or 14 partners. Interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for content.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants endorsed the self-directed format, and the focus of Coping-Together on practical information was a feature that set it apart from other resources. The majority of participants interviewed felt that the proposed coping strategies were "doable"; however, only half of the participants reported learning new coping skills after reading the booklets. Additional benefits of reading the booklets were increasing awareness of challenges to prepare for, giving hope that something can help you "pull through", providing a sense of normality, connecting patients and partners to people and services, and complementing support received from health professionals. Despite the general acceptability of the intervention, some aspects of its design were criticized, including the workbook-like exercises, expectations about using the resource together, level of guidance provided, and amount of information included. In general, most participants felt that too much negative information was included, whereas more experiential information was desired.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preliminary evaluation of Coping-Together supported its practical approach and highlighted improvements to enhance its contribution to patient and partner coping.
authors: Ingram School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Wilson Hall, 3506 University Street, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2A7, Canada, sylvie.lambert@mcgill.ca.
authors: Sylvie D
authors: SD
authors: Lambert
authors: Afaf
authors: A
authors: Girgis
authors: Jane
authors: J
authors: Turner
authors: Tim
authors: T
authors: Regan
authors: Hayley
authors: H
authors: Candler
authors: Ben
authors: B
authors: Britton
authors: Suzanne
authors: S
authors: Chambers
authors: Catalina
authors: C
authors: Lawsin
authors: Karen
authors: K
authors: Kayser
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction
references: J Cancer Educ. 2010 Dec;25(4):497-505
references: 20237884
references: Psychooncology. 2013 Jun;22(6):1229-35
references: 22715124
references: J Pain Symptom Manage. 2012 Jan;43(1):111-42
references: 21719250
references: Cancer Nurs. 2009 Jan-Feb;32(1):11-23; quiz 24-5
references: 19104197
references: J Clin Oncol. 2005 Oct 1;23(28):6899-907
references: 16129849
references: Semin Oncol Nurs. 2000 Nov;16(4):300-8; discussion 308-16
references: 11109273
references: Int J Qual Health Care. 2007 Dec;19(6):349-57
references: 17872937
references: J Med Internet Res. 2004 Jan 21;6(1):e3
references: 15111269
references: Eur J Cancer Care (Engl). 2012 Mar;21(2):213-23
references: 21895814
references: Psychooncology. 2010 Sep;19(9):909-22
references: 20119934
references: Australas Radiol. 2007 Apr;51(2):154-8
references: 17419861
references: BMC Public Health. 2009 Feb 20;9:61
references: 19228435
references: Support Care Cancer. 2013 Jan;21(1):75-85
references: 22661096
references: J Adv Nurs. 2001 Mar;33(6):748-57
references: 11298212
references: Patient Educ Couns. 2010 Dec;81 Suppl:S54-62
references: 20934297
references: J Psychosom Res. 2003 Nov;55(5):403-9
references: 14581094
references: Patient Educ Couns. 2005 Jun;57(3):250-61
references: 15893206
references: J Affect Disord. 2011 Dec;135(1-3):184-92
references: 21864913
references: CA Cancer J Clin. 2010 Sep-Oct;60(5):317-39
references: 20709946
references: Support Care Cancer. 2010 Dec;18(12):1597-603
references: 20669035
references: Clin Psychol Rev. 2013 Jun;33(4):609-22
references: 23603521
references: Eur J Cancer Care (Engl). 2008 Jul;17(4):328-39
references: 18652000
references: Qual Health Res. 2003 Sep;13(7):905-23
references: 14502957
references: Patient Educ Couns. 2004 Nov;55(2):275-80
references: 15530765
references: J Clin Oncol. 2007 Oct 10;25(29):4657-62
references: 17876009
references: Soc Sci Med. 1997 Oct;45(8):1207-21
references: 9381234
references: Cancer. 1995 Jul 15;76(2):167-77
references: 8625088
references: BMC Cancer. 2012 Jul 06;12:279
references: 22769228
references: Appl Nurs Res. 2001 Feb;14(1):48-53
references: 11172230
references: J Clin Oncol. 2002 Jun 15;20(12):2851-62
references: 12065562
references: J Adv Nurs. 2003 Nov;44(4):427-35
references: 14651715
references: BMJ Open. 2013 Jul 24;3(7):
references: 23883890
references: Patient Educ Couns. 2006 May;61(2):173-90
references: 16122896
references: BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2012 Sep;2(3):224-30
references: 24654195
references: Patient Educ Couns. 2004 Apr;53(1):57-64
references: 15062905
references: J Health Commun. 2011 Feb;16(2):212-25
references: 21207310
references: Qual Health Res. 2002 Jan;12(1):104-15
references: 11797919
references: Int J Psychiatry Med. 2006;36(1):13-34
references: 16927576
references: Cancer Nurs. 2009 Jan-Feb;32(1):26-36
references: 19104199
references: Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2012 Sep 26;10:119
references: 23013404