Pilot randomized controlled trial of individual meaning-centered psychotherapy for patients with advanced cancer.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Spiritual well-being and sense of meaning are important concerns for clinicians who care for patients with cancer. We developed Individual Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy (IMCP) to address the need for brief interventions targeting spiritual well-being and meaning for patients with advanced cancer.

Patients and methods

Patients with stage III or IV cancer (N = 120) were randomly assigned to seven sessions of either IMCP or therapeutic massage (TM). Patients were assessed before and after completing the intervention and 2 months postintervention. Primary outcome measures assessed spiritual well-being and quality of life; secondary outcomes included anxiety, depression, hopelessness, symptom burden, and symptom-related distress.

Results

Of the 120 participants ra

SUBMITTER: Breitbart W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3646315 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature