Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29136683›Full record

Trial reportPsycho-oncology2018

Why is Meaning-Centered Group Psychotherapy (MCGP) effective? Enhanced sense of meaning as the mechanism of change for advanced cancer patients.

Barry Rosenfeld, Heining Cham, Hayley Pessin, William Breitbart

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Psycho-oncology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Psychological intervention in patients with advanced cancer at home through Individual Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy-Palliative Care: a pilot study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2020
    Trial
  6. Trial
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Barry RosenfeldDepartment of Psychology, Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1399-2777
Heining ChamDepartment of Psychology, Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA.
Hayley PessinDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
William BreitbartDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.

Funding

X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHYP30CA008748 · NCI · SLOAN-KETTERING INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RES · PI Nicholas D Socci · 1985 to 2026
$347.4M
Meaning-Centered Group Psychotherapy in Advanced CancerR01CA128187 · NCI · SLOAN-KETTERING INST CAN RESEARCH · PI BREITBART, WILLIAM · 2007 to 2011
$2.1M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA008748NCI NIH HHS R01 CA128187
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesMeaning-Centered Group Psychotherapy (MCGP) has been demonstrated to be an effective method for improving advanced cancer patients' quality of life and reducing their depression, hopelessness, and desire for hastened death. To further understand MCGP, this study examined the mechanisms of change in MCGP on these outcomes via advanced cancer patients' changes of sense of meaning and peace in life.

methodsThe sample data were from 2 randomized control trials that compared MCGP (n = 124) to supportive group psychotherapy (n = 94). Mediation effects of treatment status on outcomes (2 months after completion of treatment) via patients' change in sense of meaning and peace (posttreatment minus pretreatment) were tested. The outcome variables used in these analyses were quality of life, depression, hopelessness, and desire for hastened death.

resultsSignificant mediation effects via change in sense of meaning and peace on these outcomes were found. Consistent results were found using intention-to-treated statuses. Weaker, but still significant, mediation effects via change in sense of faith on these outcomes were also found.

conclusionsResults supported the hypotheses that improvement due to MCGP is mediated by advanced cancer patients' enhanced sense of meaning. These findings highlight the importance of interventions focused on enhancing sense of meaning, as this appears to be a viable route to improve quality of life and decrease psychological distress among patients with advanced cancer.

Indexed as

Self-Help GroupsAdultAgedAnxietyDepressionFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasmsPsychotherapy, GroupQuality of LifeSelf ConceptTreatment Outcomeadvanced cancercancergroup psychotherapymeaning-centered psychotherapymediation modelsoncologysense of meaningspiritual well-being

Identifiers

PMID29136683
PMCPMC5807154

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.