Problem-Solving Therapy for Cancer Caregivers in Outpatient Palliative Care

Problem-Solving Therapy for Cancer Caregivers: A Randomized Clinical Trial in Outpatient Palliative Care

This study is a randomized clinical trial of a problem-solving therapy intervention for family caregivers of individuals with cancer receiving outpatient palliative care.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Cancer; Palliative Care; Depression, Anxiety; Caregivers
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Attention-matched Control; Behavioral: Problem-Solving Therapy; Other: In-depth interviews

Detailed Description

This study is a randomized clinical trial of a problem-solving therapy intervention for family caregivers of individuals with cancer receiving outpatient palliative care. Study participants will be randomized to receive either a three-session problem-solving therapy intervention in addition to usual care or three sessions of attention-matched control in addition to usual care.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 532
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Missouri
    • Columbia, Missouri, United States, 65211
      • University of Missouri
    • St Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110
      • Washington University School of Medicine
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
      • University of Pennslyvania

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria for Family Caregivers (FCGs)

• Must be 18 years of age or older
• Must serve as the unpaid family caregiver of a patient with cancer receiving outpatient palliative care from one of the participating clinical sites. As is common in caregiving research, we will define "family caregiver" as anyone substantially involved in a patient's care on an unpaid basis; a legal or biological relationship will not be required
• Must consent to participate

Inclusion Criteria for Non-Family Caregiver Stakeholders

• Must be 18 years of age or older
• Must be employed by or affiliated with the healthcare system housing one of the participating clinical sites.
• Must consent to participate.

Exclusion Criteria for Family Caregivers (FCGs)

• Younger than 18 years of age
• Paid caregiver

Exclusion Criteria for Non-Family Caregiver Stakeholders

• Younger than 18 years of age
• Not employed by or affiliated with the healthcare system housing one of the participating clinical sites.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Attention Control; Family caregivers in the attention control study arm will receive three sessions of attention-matched control in addition to the services and support provided as part of usual outpatient palliative care. Attention-matched control will consist of three "friendly visits" with a trained research staff person.	Other: Attention-matched Control; Over an approximately 3-week period, family caregivers randomized to the attention control study arm will participate in informal conversations ("friendly visits") with a trained member of the research team.
Experimental: Problem Solving Therapy Intervention; Family caregivers in the intervention study arm will participate in three problem-solving therapy sessions with a trained interventionist in addition to receiving the services and support provided as part of usual outpatient palliative care.	Behavioral: Problem-Solving Therapy; Over an approximately 3-week period, family caregivers randomized to the intervention study arm will learn and apply a problem-solving approach based on the ADAPT model, which encourages participants to follow five steps when solving caregiving problems: 1) focus on adopting a positive attitude to problem solving, 2) define the problem and set goals, 3) generate a list of alternative solutions to the problem, 4) predict consequences of the alternative solutions, and 5) try implementing the most promising solution from among the list of alternatives. The intervention will be delivered by a trained interventionist over the course of three structured sessions via telephone or videoconferencing technology, depending on the FCG's preference. Session content will be summarized in an intervention manual, which we will provide to all intervention participants. Sessions will last approximately 45-60 minutes.
Other: In-Depth Interviews for non-FCG Stakeholders; Each year of the project, the investigators will recruit 6 key stakeholders to participate in individual interviews focused on potential barriers and facilitators to adoption of the PST intervention into clinical practice for a total of 30 unique stakeholders who will be interviewed over the duration of this 5-year study.	Other: In-depth interviews; The 30 key stakeholders interviews will discuss how the PST intervention fits into existing clinical practice and institutional values, what might incentivize adoption of the PST intervention, and how the intervention compares to alternative existing or proposed programs.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in anxiety as measured by the PROMIS Short Form v1.0 - Anxiety 8a	Family caregivers indicate the frequency with which they experience eight different symptoms of anxiety (8 items); higher scores reflect higher anxiety severity.	At the time of enrollment, Week 4, and 30-day follow-up
Change in symptoms of depression as measured by the PROMIS Short Form v1.0 - Depression 8a	Family caregivers indicate the frequency with which they experience eight different symptoms of depression (8 items); higher scores reflect higher depression severity	At the time of enrollment, Week 4, and 30-day follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in positive aspects of caregiving as measured by Positive Aspects of Caregiving Scale - Short Form (S-PAC; 7 items)	Family caregivers indicate good things that they experience as a caregiver with seven different statements. The caregivers answer with 1=I disagree with this statement a lot; 2=I disagree with this statement a little; 3=I neither agree nor disagree with this statement; 4=I agree with this statement a little; or 5=I agree with this statement a lot.; Higher scores indicate a more positive caregiving experience	At the time of enrollment, Week 4, and 30-day follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Washington University School of Medicine
• Collaborators: National Cancer Institute (NCI); University of Missouri-Columbia; University of Pennsylvania
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Karla Washington, Ph.D., Washington University School of Medicine

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 24, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 26, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): April 30, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 8, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 6, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Neoplasms; Anxiety Disorders; Depression
• Other Study ID Numbers: 202104120; R01CA258311 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No