Psychological interventions for patients with cancer: psychological flexibility and the potential utility of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Abstract

Cancer is an illness affecting patients' physical and psychosocial wellbeing: high numbers report problematic levels of distress at many points through diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. Conclusive evidence for the long-term benefits of psychological interventions is lacking and this may be because (a) they employ a too

Behind the bright headlines, mind the long shadows

“…He views the experience of distress as an intrinsic part of the process of realignment of implicit internal schemas (of self, others, body, future, etc) that cancer has rudely disrupted. Nick Hulbert‐Williams and others are proposing cross‐diagnostic interventions for cancer distress, based on contextual science and the ideas of Steven Hayes' relational frame theory . Here, resolving the distress associated with cancer (or, for the matter, any health threat) is seen as a process of developing psychological flexibility, acceptance, and self‐compassion for the full range of human reactions, rather than avoiding and suppressing.…”

Being in safe hands: Patients’ perceptions of how cancer services may support psychological well‐being

“…Furthermore, the incidence of patient‘s psychosocial needs may vary at different stages of the cancer pathway (Gil, Costa, Hilker, & Benito, ; King et al., ). Although a subset of patients are at high risk of depression, symptomatic distress and subclinical mood disturbances are more prevalent (Hulbert‐Williams, Storey, & Wilson, ). Additionally, a significant minority of patients adjust and cope well, such that following successful treatment they are not dissimilar to the general population in terms of their psychological well‐being (Mitchell et al., ).…”

Unmet psychosocial supportive care needs and psychological distress in haematological cancer survivors: The moderating role of psychological flexibility

“…Coyne & van Sonderen, 2012). A recent literature review by Hulbert-Williams, Storey & Wilson (2015) suggested that the inconsistency in effectiveness of interventions for cancer-related distress may be due to a reliance on problem-focussed intervention frameworks, and that third-wave approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) may hold potential. In cancer samples specifically, interventions that utilise ACT-based techniques have been shown to feasible for delivery in community care settings (Arch & Mitchell, 2015) and of benefit in improving mood and quality of life (e.g.…”

“…Rost et al, 2012;Feros et al, 2013). However, this literature is small and in many cases methodologically poor, and there is a need for further, more robustly designed empirical research (Hulbert-Williams, Storey, & Wilson, 2015).…”