Nueva Vida Intervention for Latina Breast Cancer Survivors and Caregivers

What is the Nueva Vida Intervention? The "Nueva Vida Intervention: Improving Quality of Life in Latina Breast Cancer Survivors and Their Caregivers" is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that was co-developed by a Latina breast cancer survivor who is trained as a mental health professional. The program was developed for Nueva Vida, a community-based organization (CBO) in the Washington, DC metropolitan area that serves Latina breast cancer survivors and their families. We are comparing the intervention to the usual services provided at our four partner community-based organizations.

How is the Nueva Vida Intervention Structured? The 8-session psycho-educational quality of life intervention includes group-based skill-building workshops in which Latina survivors and their caregivers are part of concurrently-held but separate groups (survivors in one room; caregivers in another). This separation meets the needs of Latino participants by encouraging them to freely share their experiences and feelings without worrying about upsetting the other person. Five of the eight sessions address core topics: Introduction and The Impact of Cancer on the Family, Stress Management, Improving Communication: Family, Friends, and Providers, Spirituality and Cancer, and Balancing Physical and Emotional Needs.

The remaining three sessions are selected by the intervention participants based on their own needs and interests from the following options: Anger Management, Intimacy after Cancer: Emotional and Sexual, Trauma and Cancer, Role Changes, Understanding Distress and Depression, Myths and Cancer, Including Others in Helping Caregivers, and Putting Our Lives in Order. At the end of the intervention everyone participates in a graduation ceremony.

How does the Nueva Vida Intervention Reflect Latino Values? The Nueva Vida intervention reflects Latino values, including personalismo (warm, personal relationships), familismo (emphasizing the family unit in managing a cancer diagnosis) and framing the sessions as workshops to avoid stigma associated with mental health care.

Where will the Nueva Vida Intervention Study take place? We will evaluate the Nueva Vida Intervention within a multi-site RCT at four community-based organizations in Washington, DC (Nueva Vida), New York, New York (SHARE, Gilda's Club New York City), and San Jose, California (Latinas Contra Cancer).

What is Involved in Study Participation? Latina survivors and their caregivers will be assigned by chance (randomized) to either the Nueva Vida Intervention or to usual care. Survivors and caregivers assigned to usual care can take part in any and all of the services provided at one of the four community-based organizations who are study partners. Both survivors and caregivers will complete informed consent forms and telephone surveys at the beginning of the study, about 4 months later, and again 6 months later. Survivors and caregivers receive gift cards in appreciation of their time for completing the surveys.