Trial reportJournal of consulting and clinical psychology2016
A randomized clinical trial of a supportive versus a skill-based couple-focused group intervention for breast cancer patients.
Trial report in Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- A synthesis of RCTs on psychological interventions fostering strengths and virtues: Evidence from 21 systematic reviews.Applied psychology. Health and well-being · 2025Pooled it
- Components of family support in women with breast cancer: a systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Pooled it
- Non-pharmacological interventions to manage psychological distress in patients living with cancer: a systematic review.BMC palliative care · 2023Pooled it
- Psychological interventions for women with non-metastatic breast cancer.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- The Challenges of Enrollment and Retention: A Systematic Review of Psychosocial Behavioral Interventions for Patients With Cancer and Their Family Caregivers.Journal of pain and symptom management · 2021Pooled it
- Nonpharmacologic interventions for managing distress, anxiety, and depression for patients with cancer and their family caregivers: A systematic review and meta-analysis.CA: a cancer journal for cliniciansPooled it
- Analysis of the Effect of Exercise Combined with Diet Intervention on Postoperative Quality of Life of Breast Cancer Patients.Computational and mathematical methods in medicine · 2022Trial
- Helping Her Heal: Randomized clinical trial to enhance dyadic outcomes in couples.Psycho-oncology · 2019Trial
- Group therapy processes and treatment outcomes in 2 couple-focused group interventions for breast cancer patients.Psycho-oncology · 2017Trial
- Effects of social support interventions on social, physical and mental health outcomes: a scoping review.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Conceptualisation and operationalisation of social support in health interventions: a scoping review.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Positive Psychology Approaches to Interventions for Cancer Dyads: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- A randomised controlled trial comparing internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) with and without main carer access versus treatment-as-usual for depression and anxiety among breast cancer survivors: Study protocol.Internet interventions · 2021Article
- Couples coping with cancer together: Successful implementation of a caregiver program as standard of care.Psycho-oncology · 2020Article
- Acceptability of a Dyadic Psychoeducational Intervention for Patients and Caregivers.Oncology nursing forum · 2020Article
- Improving Breast Cancer Survivors' Psychological Outcomes and Quality of Life: Alternatives to Traditional Psychotherapy.Current breast cancer reports · 2018Article
- Effectiveness of implementing a dyadic psychoeducational intervention for cancer patients and family caregivers.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2017Article
- The implications of women's activity limitations and role disruptions during breast cancer survivorship.Women's health (London, England)Article
- Effects of Dyadic Interventions on Quality of Life among Cancer Patients: An Integrative Review.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursingReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThe aims of this study were to evaluate the efficacy of the 2 types of couple-focused group interventions on couples' psychological and relationship functioning, and to examine possible moderators for each intervention.
methodThree hundred and two women with early stage breast cancer who were recruited within 1 year of diagnosis and their spouses were randomly assigned to either an 8 session enhanced couple-focused group intervention (ECG) or a couples' support group (SG). Couples completed surveys at 4 time points: preintervention, 1 week postgroup, 6 months, and 1 year.
resultsAnalyses indicated that anxiety, depressive symptoms, and cancer-specific distress declined and positive well-being improved for couples enrolled in both ECG and SG. Thus, neither treatment was superior in terms of reduction of distress or improvements in positive well-being. Moderator effects indicated that, among patients reporting higher levels of cancer-specific preintervention distress, anxiety, depression, and well-being over the 1-year postintervention time period were significantly lower among SG couples than ECG couples. When patient cancer-specific preintervention distress was low, these 3 outcomes were more positive in ECG relative to SG. A similar pattern with regard to anxiety was illustrated when the moderator effects for perceived partner unsupportive behavior was examined, and a similar pattern was seen for anxiety and well-being for preintervention marital satisfaction.
conclusionsA couple-focused supportive group therapy may be more effective for distressed patients, whereas a structured, skills-based couples' group therapy may be more effective for less distressed patients. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.