Online Mindfulness for Women Treated for Breast Cancer and Men Treated for Prostate Cancer

January 7, 2019 updated by: University of Aarhus

Internet-delivered Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Women Treated for Breast Cancer and Men Treated for Prostate Cancer - Effects and Mechanisms

AIM: The aim of the present study is to investigate if Internet-delivered Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (I-MBCT) can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety among women treated for breast cancer and men treated for prostate cancer compared to a treatment as usual control group. Furthermore, the effect of I-MBCT on symptoms of stress, insomnia, quality of life, and self-compassion and the potential mediating effect of working alliance and mindfulness will be explored. Finally, the cost-effectiveness of the I-MBCT intervention will be explored.

BACKGROUND: Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress are prevalent late-effects among cancer patients and -survivors. Mindfulness-based interventions aim at improving affect tolerance and emotion regulation, which could be of particular relevance for cancer patients and survivors, and MBCT has been shown efficacious in treating symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among cancer patients and survivors. However, the availability of face-to-face delivered MBCT is limited and hence using the internet to deliver MBCT may be a cost-effective way of increasing the accessibility of the intervention to vulnerable patients with limited resources.

METHODS: A total of 155 participants will be recruited from Department of Oncology and Department of Urology at Aarhus University Hospital and randomized to two groups: I-MBCT and a treatment-as-usual wait-list control group. Assessments will be conducted at pre-, midway and post intervention and at a 6- months follow-up.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

BACKGROUND

Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress is common among both cancer patients and cancer survivors and can lead to prolonged hospitalization, reduced quality of life, and deteriorate prognosis. In Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) participants practice attention towards the present moment and acceptance of feelings and physical discomfort. This is in particular relevant for cancer patients and -survivors who often experience psychological symptoms connected to negative thoughts about the past and worries about the future.

MBCT is an 8-week group intervention and has shown to be effective in treating psychological distress in cancer survivors. Many cancer survivors experience challenges in following a group intervention because of health related reduced mobility and work- and family schedule conflicts, and hence it is relevant to investigate an internet-delivered alternative to MBCT.

I-MBCT is a manualized treatment for breast- and prostate cancer survivors, based on the manual for Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for depression. I-MBCT consist of 8 weeks of mindfulness practice combined with reading theory and supported by weekly text messages and answers from a therapist.

AIMS AND HYPOTHESES

In a randomized controlled trial the efficacy of 8-weeks I-MBCT for breast- and prostate cancer survivors will be investigated.

  1. The primary aim of the study is to investigate if Internet-delivered Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (I-MBCT) will reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety among women treated for breast cancer and men treated for prostate cancer and that the effect is remained at 6 months after the treatment.
  2. The secondary aim is to explore the effect of I-MBCT on symptoms of stress, insomnia, and quality of life.
  3. Furthermore, the study aims to explore the potential mediating effect of working alliance, self-compassion, and mindfulness.
  4. Finally, the cost-effectiveness of the I-MBCT intervention will be explored.

PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURES

A total of 155 breast- and prostate cancer survivors are consecutively recruited from Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. Staff at the Outpatient Clinics at Department of Oncology and Department of Urology will screen patients for psychological distress at follow-up check-ups. If the patients indicates a moderate to high level of psychological distress, further information about the project will be given and patients can sign up for study enrollment.

Participants will after initial screening receive a phone call from a project staff to clarify if inclusion criteria are met. After informed consent all participants will fill out the online baseline questionnaire and then be randomized to either I-MBCT or a wait-list control group receiving treatment as usual in a ratio of 7:3 by means of a computer-generated randomization list.

Participants fill out online questionnaires at baseline, midway (after 5 weeks), post treatment (after 10 weeks) and at follow-up after 6 months.

The intervention group receive the 8-weeks of therapist-assisted I-MBCT which contains assessment of the Therapeutic Alliance at 2, 4, and 7 weeks after treatment onset.

The statistical evaluation of the effect I-MBCT compared to the waitlist control will be performed with Multilevel Linear Models and post-hoc tests. The possible mediating effects will be evaluated using Preacher & Hayes bootstrapping method. All analyses will be performed with a two-sided significance level of .05.

REGISTRATION DETAILS

The study record reported in ClinicalTrials.gov is completely consistent with the protocol approved by the Central Region Denmark Committee on Health Research Ethics before enrollment start. The study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov after enrollment had started but before any data analysis was initiated.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

150

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

  • Denmark
    • Central Region Denmark
      • Aarhus, Central Region Denmark, Denmark, 8000
        • Department of Psychology, Aarhus University

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

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Man treated for prostate cancer or woman treated for breast cancer
  • Active cancer treatment must have been completed (radiation therapy, operation and chemotherapy) within the past 5 years. Ongoing endocrine therapy is all right.
  • A minimum score of 3 on anxiety and/or depression items from Symptom Check-List-8, subscale in Common Mental Disorder Questionnaire (SCL-8, CMDQ).
  • Internet access on a daily basis
  • Must have a cell phone

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cancer recurrence or ongoing cancer treatment.
  • Problems with reading and/or understanding Danish
  • Insufficient IT skills
  • Severe mental illness causing problems with following the internet-delivered treatment, e.g. dementia, known psychotic disorder or developmental disorder.

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: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Internet-delivered MBCT
The intervention group will immediately receive 8 weeks of therapist-assisted internet-delivered Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy.
Behavioral: Internet-delivered Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

Internet-delivered Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy is a trainer-assisted course based on the manual for Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for depression. The course consists of 8 modules, one per week, for 8 weeks and one additional week for flexibility for the participants. In total 9 weeks with weekly written contact to the personal instructor.

Each module has an overall theme with written theory, approximately 45 minutes of daily mindfulness practice and other daily assignments with the purpose of strengthening awareness in the everyday life.

Other Names:
  • MBCT
  • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
  • I-MBCT
Other: Waitlist control
The control group will be on a waiting list to participate in Internet-delivered MBCT after the 6-months follow-up time has passed.
Behavioral: Waitlist control

Participants in the control arm of the study will receive treatment as usual, which means that they are not offered interventions targeting psycho-social distress but also not prevented from participating in or seeking other psycho-social treatment during the course of the study.

After the 6-months follow-up time has passed participants will get the opportunity to participate in 8 weeks of therapist-assisted internet-delivered Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, if the intervention is found efficient.

Other Names:
  • Treatment as usual

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Symptoms of Depression
Time Frame: Change from baseline until post treatment (10 weeks after baseline) and 6 months post treatment
Change in symptoms of depression assessed by Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II)
Change from baseline until post treatment (10 weeks after baseline) and 6 months post treatment
Symptoms of Anxiety
Time Frame: Change from baseline until post treatment (10 weeks after baseline) and 6 months post treatment
Change in symptoms of anxiety assessed by State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y (STAI-S)
Change from baseline until post treatment (10 weeks after baseline) and 6 months post treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Symptoms of Stress
Time Frame: Change from baseline until post treatment (10 weeks after baseline) and 6 months post treatment
Change in symptoms of stress assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)
Change from baseline until post treatment (10 weeks after baseline) and 6 months post treatment
Cost-Effectiveness
Time Frame: Change from baseline until post treatment (10 weeks after baseline) and 6 months post treatment
Change in The Short Form Health Survey (SF-12+)
Change from baseline until post treatment (10 weeks after baseline) and 6 months post treatment

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Insomnia
Time Frame: Change from baseline until post treatment (10 weeks after baseline) and 6 months post treatment
Change in symptoms of insomnia assessed by Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)
Change from baseline until post treatment (10 weeks after baseline) and 6 months post treatment
Self-compassion
Time Frame: Change from baseline until post treatment (10 weeks after baseline) and 6 months post treatment
Change in Self-compassion assessed by The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS)
Change from baseline until post treatment (10 weeks after baseline) and 6 months post treatment
Quality of Life
Time Frame: Change from baseline until post treatment (10 weeks after baseline) and 6 months post treatment
Change in Quality of Life assessed by the World Health Organization Well-being index (WHO-5)
Change from baseline until post treatment (10 weeks after baseline) and 6 months post treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Aarhus

Collaborators

Karolinska Institutet
Aarhus University Hospital
Region Stockholm

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Eva R Nissen, MSc, University of Aarhus

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 (Actual)

February 24, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 27, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

June 27, 2018

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 16, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 29, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

April 4, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 8, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 7, 2019

Last Verified

October 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Krop & Sind
  • R87-A5432 (Other Grant/Funding Number: The Danish Cancer Society (preparation scholarship))
  • 7-12.0736 (Other Grant/Funding Number: The Danish Foundation TrygFonden)
  • R113-A7015-14-S34 (Other Grant/Funding Number: The Danish Cancer Society (Knæk Cancer))

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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