A telephonic-based trial to reduce depressive symptoms among Latina breast cancer survivors.
OBJECTIVE
Greater mental health symptomatology of Latina breast cancer (LBC) patients along with the paucity of intervention trials to reduce distress underscores the scientific and practice gaps in comprehensive care. This trial investigated the effect of a paraprofessionally delivered, telephonic-based psycho-educational intervention on depressive symptoms among LBC patients.


METHODS
Latina breast cancer patients were recruited from the California Cancer Registry, hospital registries, and support groups. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention or control condition. The primary outcome was level of depressive symptoms as measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale.


RESULTS
One hundred ninety-nine LBC patients (84 English language preferred and 115 Spanish language preferred) participated. The overall trial outcomes demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in depressive symptoms among LBC patients in the intervention condition compared with LBC patients in the control condition, after controlling for depressive symptoms at T1 and language (p < 0.05). At follow-up, 63% of intervention LBC patients reported at least a five-point decrease in symptoms compared with 26% of control LBC patients (p < 0.05). English language-preferred and Spanish language-preferred LBC patients in the intervention condition showed approximately an eight-point mean decrease in depressive symptoms from baseline (M = 23.5 and M = 26.6, respectively) to follow-up (M = 15.7 and M = 18.4, respectively) (p < 0.001), whereas those in the control condition showed no significant change.


CONCLUSIONS
Results demonstrate the effectiveness of a culturally responsive, paraprofessionally delivered intervention to reduce depressive symptoms among LBC patients. Therefore, community oncology practices can affiliate with trained paraprofessionals to implement mental health services to address distress among our growing and increasingly ethnically, linguistically, and economically diverse oncology patient population.
Center of Community Alliance for Research and Education (CCARE), Department of Population Sciences, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA.
Kimlin
K
Ashing
Monica
M
Rosales
D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D013689:Telephone; D016896:Treatment Outcome
Latina; breast cancer; depressive symptoms; distress; oncology; telephone interventions