Couplelinks.ca - An Online Intervention for Couples Affected by Breast Cancer (couplelinks)

August 13, 2013 updated by: Karen Fergus, Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance

A Randomized Controlled Trials of Couplelinks.ca: The First Online Couples Intervention for Young Women Dealing With Breast Cancer and Their Male Partners

Women diagnosed with breast cancer (BC) at or before the age of 50 experience more distress and poorer quality of life than women diagnosed later in life. Although adequate spousal support is a protective factor for women with BC, spouses are often unprepared to handle the myriad practical and emotional demands posed by the illness. Furthermore, despite the growing number of recommendations for couple interventions in relation to BC, traditional counselling approaches may fail to meet the needs of young couples who have unique concerns and tight constraints on their time. The proposed project addresses the void in the psycho-social support available to young couples via an innovative, online psychoeducational intervention tailored specifically to their needs.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Unknown

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Couplelinks.ca is a custom-designed website offering a professionally facilitated, couple-centred intervention that entails informational, experiential, and interactive components. Six Dyadic Learning Modules (DLM) form the core of the program and are undertaken on a weekly basis.

A funded pilot study examining the feasibility and benefit of Couplelinks.ca utilized a non-randomized, pre-post test design to assess the process and outcomes of the intervention. Qualitative feedback also informed the evaluation. Preliminary findings were promising and provided justification for further evaluation of the program's effectiveness.

The current study is the next logical step: a larger-scale Phase III study to determine whether this BC-specific, relationship-enhancement program leads to improved relationship and psychological outcomes for young couples affected by BC. It is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing level of distress and dyadic adjustment in couples who have participated in the Couplelinks.ca educational program to those who have not participated and were instead put on a wait-list for participation.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
260

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • British Columbia
      • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1L3
        • Recruiting
        • British Columbia Cancer Agency Research Centre
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Joanne Stephen, PhD
    • Manitoba
      • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3E 0V9
        • Recruiting
        • CancerCare Manitoba
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Jill Taylor-Brown, MSW, RSW
    • Nova Scotia
      • Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3H 1V7
        • Recruiting
        • Queen Elizabeth Ii Health Sciences Centre
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Deborah McLeod, R.N., PhD
    • Ontario
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4N 3M5
        • Recruiting
        • Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
        • Contact:
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M3J1P3

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 53 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • couples where woman has received a diagnosis of nonmetastatic breast carcinoma;
  • diagnosis was within the last 36 months;
  • woman is age less than or equal to 50 at age of diagnosis;
  • completed or are nearing the end of active treatment;
  • couples must be in a committed, heterosexual relationship;
  • fluent in English with the ability to read and write in English.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • non-heterosexual couples;
  • women older than 50;
  • previous diagnosis of moderate to severe psychological problems that may interfere with capacity to benefit from the intervention;
  • couples who plan to participate in couple counselling during the 5-month study duration.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Couplelinks.ca Intervention
Intervention arm - Couple participates in the Couplelinks.ca program.
Behavioral: Couplelinks.ca website
Participation in the Couplelinks.ca program, an online intervention.
Other Names:
  • Couplelinks.ca program
No Intervention: No Intervention
Couple is waitlisted for participation in the Couplelinks.ca program.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Revised Dyadic Adjustment Survey RDAS
Time Frame: T0= 0 weeks, T1= 8 weeks, T3= 3 months
The Revised Dyadic Adjustment Survey (RDAS) is a brief version of the 33 question Dyadic Adjustment Survey that assesses relationship adjustment.
T0= 0 weeks, T1= 8 weeks, T3= 3 months
Dyadic Coping
Time Frame: T0= 0 weeks, T1= 8 weeks, T3= 3 months
Dyadic Coping assesses the degree to which partners feel that their coping efforts are reciprocal
T0= 0 weeks, T1= 8 weeks, T3= 3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Canadian Breast Cancer Research Alliance

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
British Columbia Cancer Agency
York University
Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre
CancerCare Manitoba

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Karen Fergus, PhD, York University/Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Odette Cancer Centre)

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 1, 2015

Study Completion (Anticipated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 17, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 18, 2010

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 19, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 14, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 13, 2013

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • H10-00300

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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