The SUPORT Project: Leveraging Social Connection by Including Informal Caregivers in an Internet Video Conference-based Compassion Meditation Intervention to Reduce Psychological Distress in Breast Cancer Survivors
University of Arizona
Summary
Many breast cancer survivors (estimated 70% in some studies) experience clinically significant depression and/or anxiety in the months and years after finishing cancer treatments. This research will build on the rigor of prior research to reduce breast cancer survivor depression and anxiety with a compassion meditation intervention called CBCT (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training) for online synchronous delivery that is also inclusive of informal caregivers (i.e., adult family members who live with and typically provide half the care for survivors, aka supportive partners).
Description
The goal of this project is to determine if CBCT (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training) can reduce distress for survivors compared to an attention control (Health Education; HE) when delivered by Zoom to both survivors and caregivers/ supportive partners as a dyad (i.e., CBCT for dyads; CBCT-D). We will also test whether instructing survivors and caregivers/ supportive partners together in CBCT (CBCT-D) reduces distress more than when survivors receive CBCT instruction by themselves, without caregivers/ supportive partners (i.e., CBCT for survivors; CBCT-S). The following specific aims addres…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Breast cancer survivors: Inclusion Criteria: * biological sex: woman * able to speak and understand English * have a diagnosis of a breast cancer * have completed primary curative cancer treatments (i.e., surgery, radiation, chemotherapy) except for hormonal therapies (e.g., aromatase inhibitors) or trastuzumab a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 5 years before starting CBCT or the control * have a supportive partner (aka caregiver) who can participate with them Exclusion Criteria: * nursing home resident * have ongoing (1 or more meditation sessions per week) or past regular meditation…
Interventions
- BehavioralCognitively-Based Compassion Training for Survivors
CBCT-S is a secular adaptation of techniques derived from traditional Tibetan Buddhist methods for cultivating compassion known as lo-jong. CBCT-S will be administered to breast cancer survivors and will not including supportive partners. Module 1 (Week 1): Overview and Connecting to A Moment of Nurturance Module 2 (Week 2) Developing Stable and Clear Attention Module 3 (Week 3): Enhancing Self Awareness Module 4 (Week 4): Cultivating Self compassion Part 1: Accepting our Suffering Module 5 (Week 5): Self Compassion Part 2: Finding Meaning in Suffering. Module 6(Week 6): Expanding our Circle of Concern Module 7 (Week 7): Deepening Gratitude and Tenderness Module 8 (Week 8): Harnessing the Power of Compassion
- BehavioralCognitively-Based Compassion Training for Dyads
CBCT-D is a secular adaptation of techniques derived from traditional Tibetan Buddhist methods for cultivating compassion known as lo-jong. CBCT-D will be administered to breast cancer survivors and supportive partners together. Module 1 (Week 1): Overview and Connecting to A Moment of Nurturance Module 2 (Week 2) Developing Stable and Clear Attention Module 3 (Week 3): Enhancing Self Awareness Module 4 (Week 4): Cultivating Self compassion Part 1: Accepting our Suffering Module 5 (Week 5): Self Compassion Part 2: Finding Meaning in Suffering. Module 6(Week 6): Expanding our Circle of Concern Module 7 (Week 7): Deepening Gratitude and Tenderness Module 8 (Week 8): Harnessing the Power of Compassion
- BehavioralHealth Education
HE focuses on topics relevant to health and cancer, but is also intended for individuals who are not cancer survivors themselves. HE will be administered to both breast cancer survivors and supportive partners together. Module I (Week 1): Cancer Advocacy. Module II (Week 2): Health Through the Lifespan. Module III (Week 3): Nutrition. Module III (Week 4): Nutrition. Module IV (Week 5): Physical Activity. Module V (Week 6): Sleep. Module VI (Week 7): Stress. Module VII (Week 8): Mental Health and Social Support.
Location
- University of ArizonaTucson, Arizona