FOCUS ON US: Adapting the FOCUS Program for Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) Cancer Patients and Caregivers

Summary

Our aim for this study is to assess the feasibility and acceptability and explore potential outcomes of the adapted FOCUS On Us intervention in a two-arm pilot trial. The investigators will randomize 80 sexual and/or gender minority (SGM; e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc.) cancer patients and their ≥80 informal caregivers (total N≥160) to either FOCUS On Us (adapted from the evidence-based FOCUS program) or a waitlist control.

Eligibility

Age range

18–100 years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Interventions

• Behavioral
  FOCUS ON US

  This intervention will include 5 sessions cover 5 core content areas, represented by the acronym FOCUS. Family involvement (F) Outlook and meaning (O) Coping effectiveness (C) Uncertainty reduction (U) Symptom management (S) Content from every area is presented in the 3 longer in-depth sessions and reinforced in the 2 shorter check-in sessions. FOCUS encourages participants to work as a team, communicate openly, and support one another, and uses skill building (e.g., stress reduction techniques, healthy behaviors), education (e.g., symptom trajectories, information gathering), and problem-solving therapy to address "here-and-now" issues that impact QOL. The intervention is flexible, allowing more attention to be spent on issues relevant to particular patients/caregivers.

Locations (2)