The results of this study show that relatively brief, culturally appropriate, and highly accessible telephone-delivered interventions that provide emotional and information support can bring about substantial improvements in QOL for both Latinas with breast cancer and their SPs.

Purpose-The primary purpose was to test the effectiveness of two telephone-delivered psychosocial interventions for maintaining and improving quality of life (QOL) (psychological, physical, social, and spiritual well-being) among 71 prostate cancer survivors and the 70 intimate or family partners who were supporting them in their recovery.Methods-This study used a three-wave repeated measures experimental design. Both the interpersonal counseling intervention (TIP-C) and health education attention condition (HEAC) were delivered using the telephone.Results-Improvements in depression, negative affect, stress, fatigue, and spiritual well-being were significantly higher for survivors in the HEAC than for those in the TIP-C condition. Partners in the HEAC condition showed significantly greater improvements in depression, fatigue, social support from family members, social well-being, and spiritual well-being compared to partners in the TIP-C condition. The results revealed superior outcomes for those assigned to the HEAC intervention.Correspondence to: Terry A. Badger, tbadger@nursing.arizona.edu. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptQual Life Res. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2012 August 1. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptConclusions-The psychosocial interventions in this study were effective in maintaining or improving the QOL for prostate cancer survivors and their partners. Both the survivor and their intimate partner or family member benefitted from the interventions. Future research is needed to determine the optimal timing and client characteristics for each intervention. KeywordsPsychosocial interventions; QOL; Prostate cancer; Intimate partner; Family membersIn 2010, 217,730 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer [1]. With early diagnosis, prostate cancer is highly treatable, reflected in 5-year survival rates of almost 99%. As the death rate from cancer declines, the number of people living with prostate cancer continues to increase. The significant numbers of prostate cancer survivors and their families emphasize the need for increased attention to survivorship and quality of life (QOL) (psychological, physical, social, and spiritual well-being) [2,3]. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of two psychosocial interventions to improve the QOL for men with prostate cancer and their intimate partners or family social network members (all called "partners" in this study).Psychological distress in men with prostate cancer can negatively influence QOL during cancer treatment. The incidence of clinically significant levels of depression and anxiety in prostate cancer survivors has been reported as 16 and 12%, respectively [4], which is higher than population norms for older males. For prostate cancer patients on Androgen Deprivation Therapy, the risk of major depressive disorder is 8 times the national rate for men and 32 times the rate for those over age 65 [5]. Depression is associated with decreased compliance with adjuvant therapy and a ...

The overarching aim of qualitative research is to gain an understanding of certain social phenomena. Qualitative research involves the studied use and collection of empirical materials, all to describe moments and meanings in individuals' lives. Data derived from these various materials require a form of analysis of the content, focusing on written or spoken language as communication, to provide context and understanding of the message. Qualitative research often involves the collection of data through extensive interviews, note taking, and tape recording. These methods are time- and labor-intensive. With the advances in computerized text analysis software, the practice of combining methods to analyze qualitative data can assist the researcher in making large data sets more manageable and enhance the trustworthiness of the results. This article will describe a novel process of combining two methods of qualitative data analysis, or Intramethod triangulation, as a means to provide a deeper analysis of text.

Findings from this study support that these telephone-delivered psychosocial interventions were effective for decreasing symptoms of depression and anxiety to improve psychological quality of life when compared to an AC group.