“In the same boat”—a mixed-methods exploration of reasons why male gastrointestinal cancer patients joined a professionally led men-only cancer support group

Martopullo, Celestina; Oberoi, Devesh; Levin, Gregory; Qureshi, Maryam; Morgan-Maver, Elizabeth; Korzeniewski, Olympia; Pelletier, G.; Carlson, Linda E.; Bultz, Barry D.

doi:10.1007/s11764-019-00838-x

Cited by 12 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…This conclusion is supported by our findings, but does not fully explain why the men who were interviewed for the present study (one of which had testicular cancer, the other three hematologic cancers), despite scoring above the cut-off level for the intervention, stated they had no particular sexual or fertility problems and therefore substantially felt the program was not "for them". Another potential partial explanation for the low participation rate of men in the present study is that male cancer patients might prefer "male only" and diagnosis-specific support groups [38]. The lack of male perspective nevertheless limits inferential generalization [20] to the population of male cancer survivors, and warrants further research focusing on the specific concerns of young adult men with diagnoses such as brain tumors or hematologic malignancies, where available treatment options likely are detrimental to sexual and reproductive function [2].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 74%

Experiences of a web-based psycho-educational intervention targeting sexual dysfunction and fertility distress in young adults with cancer—A self-determination theory perspective

et al. 2020

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Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 74%

Experiences of a web-based psycho-educational intervention targeting sexual dysfunction and fertility distress in young adults with cancer—A self-determination theory perspective

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“…It has been argued that men often become more expressive when there is a perceived degree of autonomy, and their feelings of internal control are not threatened (33). Our participants cited the men-only composition as one of the primary reasons for joining the group in our previous qualitative study (23).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The current study presents longitudinal quantitative data evaluating the patient-reported changes over time in constructs of mood, coping and quality of life. Evaluation of the SEGT through both qualitative and quantitative methods in this group of patients will lay the groundwork for integrating such therapies in the treatment plan of male GI cancer patients (23). We hypothesized that participation in the SEGT would lead to an improvement in cancer-related distress, coping behaviour, and QoL, with small to medium effect sizes.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Effectiveness of a Men-only Supportive Expressive Therapy Group Intervention for Psychosocial Health Outcomes in Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients: A 6-month longitudinal study

Oberoi

Martopullo

Bultz

et al. 2020

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Background An increasing number of gastrointestinal cancer (GI) patients suffer from the side effects of cancer treatment that can affect their psychosocial health outcomes such as mood states and quality of life. Despite its demonstrated usefulness in female cancer patients, the Supportive Expressive Group Therapy (SEGT) has not been tested in male cancer patients. The current study sought to examine the longitudinal effects of a professionally-led, men-only supportive-expressive group therapy (SEGT) on mood states, coping, and quality of life (QoL) in male GI cancer patients.Methods Male GI cancer patients (n = 31), at different stages of cancerand its treatment, were recruited from an ongoing men-only biweekly GI cancer support group. Data were collected at baseline (before or near the beginning of group attendance) and at three months and six months follow-up. All outcomes were patient-reported and included demographic data as well as the validated questionnaires: Profile of Mood States (POMS) for mood states, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) for QoL, and Ways of Coping-cancer version (WOC) for coping. Linear mixed models were used to examine the change in the outcomes over time. Effect sizes were estimated using Cohen’s d.Results The Anxiety (p = .04; d = 0.70), Depression (p = .03; d = 0.93) and Anger (p = .04; d = 1.28) subscales of the POMS decreased between baseline and six months. Participants also reported improvements in coping through Distancing (distancing oneself from negative thoughts, being more accepting of the situation, and looking for positives) of the WOC (p = .04; d = 0.4) between baseline and six months. There was no change in any of the FACT subscales (QoL) over time.Conclusions This is the first study to investigate the effects of a SEGT intervention in male cancer patients. SEGT resulted in improved mood states and coping in male GI cancer patients; however, there was no change in measures of QoL. Given the direct effects of SEGT on anxiety, depression and anger, as well as a strong association between anger and depression in men as reported in past studies, SEGT could be impactful in improving psychosocial health outcomes in male GI cancer patients.

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“…Previously, we published qualitative work from interviews with men in this study at baseline, identifying two themes around their motivation for joining the group, a liation with similar others and learning about coping. A liation with other men "in the same boat" was widely anticipated to foster bonding and solidarity through experiential similarity while sharing and comparing cancer experiences was referenced by most men as a way of understanding how others were dealing with cancer (23). The current study presents longitudinal quantitative data evaluating the patient-reported changes over time in constructs of mood, coping and quality of life.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effectiveness of a Men-only Supportive Expressive Therapy Group Intervention for Psychosocial Health Outcomes in Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients: A 6-month longitudinal study

Oberoi

Martopullo

Bultz

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

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Background: An increasing number of gastrointestinal cancer (GI) patients suffer from the side effects of cancer treatment that can affect their psychosocial health outcomes such as mood states and quality of life. Despite its demonstrated usefulness in female cancer patients, the Supportive Expressive Group Therapy (SEGT) has not been tested in male cancer patients. The current study sought to examine the longitudinal effects of a professionally-led, men-only supportive-expressive group therapy (SEGT) on mood states, coping, and quality of life (QoL) in male GI cancer patients. Methods: Male GI cancer patients (n=31), at different stages of cancer treatment, were recruited from an ongoing men-only biweekly GI cancer support group. Data were collected at baseline (before or near the beginning of group attendance) and at three months and six months follow-up. All outcomes were patient-reported and included demographic data as well as the validated questionnaires: Profile of Mood States (POMS) for mood states, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) for QoL, and Ways of Coping-cancer version (WOC) for coping. Linear mixed models were used to examine the change in the outcomes over time. Effect sizes were estimated using Cohen’s d. Results: The Anxiety (p=.04; d=0.70), Depression (p=.03; d=0.93) and Anger (p=.04; d=1.28) subscales of the POMS decreased between baseline and six months. Participants also reported improvements in coping through Distancing (distancing oneself from negative thoughts, being more accepting of the situation, and looking for positives) of the WOC (p=.04; d=0.4) between baseline and six months. There was no change in any of the FACT subscales (QoL) over time. Conclusions: This is the first study to investigate the effects of a SEGT intervention in male cancer patients. SEGT resulted in improved mood states and coping in male GI cancer patients; however, there was no change in measures of QoL. Given the direct effects of SEGT on anxiety, depression and anger, as well as a strong association between anger and depression in men as reported in past studies, SEGT could be impactful in improving psychosocial health outcomes in male GI cancer patients.

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“In the same boat”—a mixed-methods exploration of reasons why male gastrointestinal cancer patients joined a professionally led men-only cancer support group

Cited by 12 publications

References 53 publications

Experiences of a web-based psycho-educational intervention targeting sexual dysfunction and fertility distress in young adults with cancer—A self-determination theory perspective

Experiences of a web-based psycho-educational intervention targeting sexual dysfunction and fertility distress in young adults with cancer—A self-determination theory perspective

The Effectiveness of a Men-only Supportive Expressive Therapy Group Intervention for Psychosocial Health Outcomes in Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients: A 6-month longitudinal study

The Effectiveness of a Men-only Supportive Expressive Therapy Group Intervention for Psychosocial Health Outcomes in Gastrointestinal Cancer Patients: A 6-month longitudinal study

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