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Patient Preferences Regarding Cancer Group Psychotherapy Interventions: A View From the Inside

Received March 31, 2006; revised June 5, 2006; accepted July 6, 2006. From the Dept. of Behavioral Medicine, the Dept. of Social Work, and the Dept. of Internal Medicine, AR Cancer Research Center, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR. Send correspondence and reprint requests to Allen C. Sherman, Ph.D., Behavioral Medicine, #756, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR. e-mail: ShermanAllenC{at}uams.edu
© 2007 The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine

Group interventions for cancer patients have commanded notable interest among investigators, but utilization rates are low and little is known about the features that patients themselves deem most important. The authors examined the views of potential participants, among 425 patients with diverse malignancies. A large number (64.6%) expressed interest, although few had attended a group. Preferences were strongest for interventions convened during diagnostic or active treatment periods rather than later, and those focusing on medical education or health-promotion, rather than emotional support or coping. Most were amenable to drop-in formats and to heterogeneous membership. In subgroup analyses, preferences were associated with disease site and not strongly related to psychosocial or demographic predictors. Understanding patient preferences may be critical for successful program development and utilization.

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