Comparison of ACT and CBSM for Caregivers in Cancer

December 29, 2025 updated by: Fatemeh Al-Sadat Hosseini, Ardakan University

Comparing the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management on Fear of Recurrence, Quality of Life, Psychological Distress, and Fatigue of Caregivers of Cancer Patients

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral stress management (CBSM) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on the fear of recurrence, quality of life, psychological distress, and fatigue of caregivers of cancer patients.

Researchers compare the effectiveness of CBSM and ACT to a Control(without receiving intervention) to see if treatment works to improve the health of caregivers of cancer patients. A comparison between the two treatments was also conducted to determine if there was a difference in their effectiveness.

Participants:

In this study, 66 participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the CBSM group, the ACT group, or the control group.

The CBSM and ACT groups each attended eight 90-minute, in-person sessions twice a week.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

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 (Actual)

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.
66

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.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

  • Iran
    • Yazd Province
      • Yazd, Yazd Province, Iran
        • Emdadgaran-e Ashura Charity Institute

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

To be included in the study, caregivers had to be 18 years or older, literate, and provide informed consent. A key requirement was that participants either lived with the patient or visited them at least twice a week.

Exclusion Criteria:

Exclusion criteria were applied to ensure the integrity of the study. Participants were excluded if they missed more than two sessions, were currently receiving other psychological interventions, had a major psychiatric or cognitive disorder that would prevent them from providing informed consent, or if the patient passed away.

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: Treatment
  • 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: Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management (CBSM)
Participants in this group receive Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management (CBSM)
Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management (CBSM)
consisted of eight in-person sessions, twice a week for 90 minutes each
Experimental: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Participants in this group receive Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Behavioral: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
consisted of eight in-person sessions, twice a week for 90 minutes each
No Intervention: Control
The control group receives no intervention.

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
Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory-caregiver (FCRI-c)
Time Frame: assessments at three distinct time points: at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately following the four-week intervention period (post-test), and at a two-month follow-up.
This scale, developed by Lin et al., (2018), consists of 42 items measured on a 5-point Likert scale, encompassing seven subscales related to triggers, severity, psychological distress, functional impairment, insight, reassurance, and coping Strategy.
assessments at three distinct time points: at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately following the four-week intervention period (post-test), and at a two-month follow-up.
Depression Anxiety and Stress (DASS)
Time Frame: assessments at three distinct time points: at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately following the four-week intervention period (post-test), and at a two-month follow-up.
This scale, developed by Lovibond and Lovibond (1995), consists of 21 items measured on a 4-point Likert scale, encompassing three subscales for depression, anxiety, and stress.
assessments at three distinct time points: at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately following the four-week intervention period (post-test), and at a two-month follow-up.
Caregiver Quality of Life-Cancer (CQOLC)
Time Frame: assessments at three distinct time points: at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately following the four-week intervention period (post-test), and at a two-month follow-up.
This scale, developed by Weitzner et al., (1999), consists of 35 items measured on a 5-point Likert scale, encompassing four subscales for burden, disruptiveness, positive adaptation, and financial concern, along with eight additional items.
assessments at three distinct time points: at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately following the four-week intervention period (post-test), and at a two-month follow-up.
Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI)
Time Frame: assessments at three distinct time points: at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately following the four-week intervention period (post-test), and at a two-month follow-up.
This scale, developed by Smets et al., (1995), consists of 20 items measured on a 5-point Likert scale, encompassing five subscales: general fatigue, physical fatigue, reduced activity, reduced motivation, and mental fatigue.
assessments at three distinct time points: at baseline (pre-intervention), immediately following the four-week intervention period (post-test), and at a two-month follow-up.

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.
Ardakan University

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 (Actual)

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.
June 24, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

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.
July 22, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

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.
September 22, 2024

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).
December 29, 2025

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.
December 29, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

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.
January 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
January 9, 2026

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.
December 29, 2025

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.
December 1, 2025

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.
  • IR.YAZD.REC.1403.058

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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