Caregivers' Strengths-Skills: Managing Older Cancer Patients' Symptoms

NCT03532061 | Completed DMC

• 2 other identifiers: 10-017197R01CA115315-06
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 500
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Caregiver education and training programs that specifically target caregiver informational and training needs during the survivorship period have been limited. In recognition of families' direct involvement in health care decision-making, health advocacy and care provision, programs are needed that can maximize families' caregiving abilities and skills and provide them with the information and resources they may need to identify and address elderly cancer patients' post-treatment symptom management. The goal of this study was to implement and evaluate the efficacy of a short-term problem-solving skills training program (relative to participating in a caregiver support group) for familial caregivers to lower income older (55+) post-treatment cancer patients.

Conditions

Cancer

Keywords

Familial Caregiver; Cancer; Symptom Management; COPE Principles; Problem-solving Skills Training Program

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Caregiver Social Problem-Solving Inventory Scale Score

  Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R:L): This is a 52 item instrument that measures one's ability to resolve problems encountered in everyday living. Scoring results in five standardized scale scores (1. Positive problem orientation; 2. Negative problem orientation; 3. Impulsivity/carelessness style; 4. Avoidance style; and 5. Rational problem solving), four Rational Problem Solving subscale scores (1. Problem definition formulation; 2. Generation of alternative solutions; 3. Decision making; and 4. Solution implementation and verification) and a Total SPSI-R:L standard score. Raw scores are converted to standard scores. The total SPSI-R:L score and each scale/subscale score has a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. With the total SPSI-R:L score, higher scores indicate "good" social problem-solving ability. The extent to which "good" and "poor" problem-solving ability is demonstrated, is determined by observing how far the scores are from the mean score of 100.

  Baseline, 1 & 7 months post-intervention delivery

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Caregiver's Satisfaction with Quality of Patient Care - FAMCARE Scale Score

  Baseline, 1 & 7 months post-intervention delivery

Study Arms (2)

FamCare Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Family caregivers who receive 6 in-person problem-solving skills training sessions (FamCare Program).

Behavioral: FamCare Program

Caregiver Support Group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Family caregivers who receive 6 in-person caregiver support group sessions.

Other: Caregiver Support Group

Interventions

FamCare Program BEHAVIORAL

6 in-person sessions of biweekly home care problem-solving skills training (FamCare) delivered by a health educator.

FamCare Group

Caregiver Support Group OTHER

6 in-person caregiver support group sessions held biweekly and moderated by a health educator.

Caregiver Support Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Have a cancer diagnosis
• Have completed active treatment
• Be an older adult, aged 55 or older
• Have a family member who is their caregiver
• Understand English or Spanish
• Not be severely cognitively impaired

You may not qualify if:

• Patient must be in the post-treatment period
• Be 18 or older
• Live with or have frequent (at least weekly face-to-face) contact with patient
• Understand English or Spanish
• Not be severely cognitively impaired

Sponsors & Collaborators

• New York University: lead
• National Cancer Institute (NCI): collaborator

Related Publications (3)

• Raveis VH, Tobin J, Karus D, Zhou R, Faber KE, Carrero M, Estrada I. Family caregiving to older, minority cancer survivors living in the community: Perspectives from a randomized control trial of caregiver problem-solving skills training. The Gerontologist 51(S2):496, 2011.

  BACKGROUND

• Raveis VH, Tobin J, Karus D, Faber K, Zhou R, Carrero M, Estrada I. Family caregiving transitions: Addressing the care needs of older adults during the cancer survivorship period. The Gerontologist 50(S1): 475, 2010.

  BACKGROUND

• Raveis VH, Karus D, Zhou R, Carrero-Tagle M, Faber K, Estrada I, Tobin JN. FamCare: Cognitive-behavioral problem solving training for family caregivers to cancer survivors. Gerontologist 56(Suppl_3): 684, 2016.

  RESULT

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Neoplasms

Study Officials

• Victoria H. Raveis, PhD

  New York University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 5, 2018
• First Posted: May 22, 2018
• Study Start: August 7, 2006
• Primary Completion: April 14, 2011
• Study Completion: July 31, 2011
• Last Updated: November 3, 2022

Record last verified: 2019-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share