Coping in African American Prostate Cancer Survivors (CAAPS)

February 28, 2013 updated by: Duke University

Coping Skills Training Groups to Enhance Recovery From Prostate Cancer in African American Men

This study will test the effectiveness of an 8-week group intervention for African American men who have been treated for prostate cancer. The group intervention is based on 1) the cognitive-behavioral theoretical approach to improving adjustment to cancer and 2) masculinity theory as it relates to coping strengths and preferences in men. We will test the effectiveness of this coping skills intervention for improving survivors' quality of life in 4 areas: 1) distress related to sexual, urinary, and bowel symptoms; 2) self-confidence for managing symptoms; 3) overall emotional functioning; and 4) overall physical functioning. The effect of the coping skills group intervention in these 4 areas will be compared to a comparison intervention in which African American men will receive basic education about prostate cancer, but will not participate in coping skills training.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

African American men have higher diagnosis and death rates from prostate cancer than any other ethnic group. After treatment for prostate cancer, African American men also report slower recovery, including physical symptoms (e.g., sexual dysfunction, urinary incontinence) that can persist well beyond the immediate post-treatment period. Despite the evidence that African American men have poorer outcomes following prostate cancer treatment, very little is known about how to improve quality of life and enhance recovery in this group of survivors.

This study will test the effectiveness of an 8-week group intervention for African American men who have been treated for prostate cancer. The group intervention is based on 1) the cognitive-behavioral theoretical approach to improving adjustment to cancer and 2) masculinity theory as it relates to coping strengths and preferences in men. In this group intervention African American prostate cancer survivors will be taught a variety of coping skills for managing both the physical and emotional challenges of living with prostate cancer. The coping skills training groups will consist of 6-8 survivors and will be conducted in both medical center clinic settings and community settings (e.g., churches). Each group session will be co-led by an African American psychologist and an African American male lay person. We will test the effectiveness of this coping skills intervention for improving survivors' quality of life in 4 areas: 1) distress related to sexual, urinary, and bowel symptoms; 2) self-confidence for managing symptoms; 3) overall emotional functioning; and 4) overall physical functioning. The effect of the coping skills group intervention in these 4 areas will be compared to a comparison intervention in which African American men will receive basic education about prostate cancer, but will not participate in coping skills training. The recruitment goal for this project is 154 African American men treated for early stage prostate cancer.

Due to the comprehensive nature of the coping skills training intervention (i.e., a variety of coping skills targeting both physical and emotional challenges of prostate cancer), we expect coping skills training to be significantly more effective than cancer education. Ultimately, findings from this study could fill a significant gap that exists in the research literature regarding our understanding of how to help African American men achieve the fullest possible recovery following prostate cancer treatment.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

62

Phase

  • 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

    • North Carolina
      • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27704
        • Duke University Medical Center

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of early stage, localized prostate cancer (T1-T3)
  • Must have received treatment within previous 2 years
  • Capable of self-care per Karnofsky Performance Status score of 60+
  • African American
  • Must have physician who can confirm treatment history

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Undergoing primary treatment 2 or more years ago
  • Having regional or metastatic prostate cancer at time of screening

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: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Coping Skills Training
Coping Skills Training teaches skills for managing physical, emotional, and social challenges of symptoms commonly experienced by men who have undergone treatment for early stage prostate cancer. Coping skills include activity pacing, managing negative mood, communication enhancement, and applied relaxation.
Active Comparator: Prostate Cancer Education
Prostate Cancer Education provides information on the following topics: common treatment side-effects, medical options for symptom management, nutrition to support recovery, and guidelines for communicating with your healthcare team.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Symptom distress
Time Frame: pretreatment, posttreatment, 3 mo followup
pretreatment, posttreatment, 3 mo followup

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Emotional functioning
Time Frame: pretreatment, posttreatment, 3 mo followup
pretreatment, posttreatment, 3 mo followup
Physical functioning
Time Frame: pretreatment, posttreatment, 3 mo followup
pretreatment, posttreatment, 3 mo followup
Self-efficacy for symptom management
Time Frame: pretreatment, posttreatment, 3 mo followup
pretreatment, posttreatment, 3 mo followup

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Francis J Keefe, Ph.D., Duke University
  • Study Director: Lisa C Campbell, Ph.D., Duke 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

May 1, 2007

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 31, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 9, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

January 10, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

March 1, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 28, 2013

Last Verified

February 1, 2013

More Information

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.

Clinical Trials on Prostate Cancer

Clinical Trials on Coping Skills Training

3
Subscribe