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A short term education intervention but not peer discussion improved vitality and pain in women with breast cancer

https://doi.org/10.1136/ebn.5.2.47

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    Helgeson VS, Cohen S, Schulz R, et al. Long-term effects of educational and peer discussion group interventions on adjustment to breast cancer.Health Psychol2001 Sep;20:387–92OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science

    QUESTIONS: In women with breast cancer, are the positive effects of a short term education intervention maintained over time? Does a peer discussion intervention have positive effects ≥1 year later?

    Design

    Randomised (unclear allocation concealment; unclear if blinded) controlled trial with a mean follow up of 40 months.

    Setting

    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

    Patients

    312 women who were 27–75 years of age (mean age 48 y, 93% Caucasian), had breast cancer (National Cancer Institute criteria stage I: 25%; stage II: 69%; and stage III: 6%), and had been treated by surgery (68% lumpectomy, 32% mastectomy) and adjuvant chemotherapy. Follow up was 83%.

    Intervention

    Women were allocated to education (n=79), peer discussion (n=74), education plus peer discussion (n=82), or control (n=77), approximately 3 months after diagnosis. Each group comprised 7 small groups of 8–12 women. Education consisted of 8 weekly 45 minute meetings …

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    Footnotes

    • Source of funding: National Institutes of Health.

    • For correspondence: Dr V S Helgeson, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. vh2e{at}andrew.cmu.edu