Trial reportPsycho-oncology2018
The effect of an attachment-oriented couple intervention for breast cancer patients and partners in the early treatment phase: A randomised controlled trial.
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 18 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
18 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of dyadic interventions on family function, caregiver burden and symptom distress for cancer patients and family caregivers: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effects of marital self-disclosure on marital relationship and psychological outcome for cancer patients: a systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023Pooled it
- Psychological interventions for women with non-metastatic breast cancer.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Effectiveness of psychoeducation intervention among women with gynecological cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2022Pooled 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
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of couple-based intervention on sexuality and the quality of life of cancer patients and their partners.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2020Pooled it
- Psychosocial interventions for informal caregivers of people living with cancer.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- The effect of an attachment-oriented couple intervention for breast cancer patients and partners in the early treatment phase: A randomised controlled trial.Psycho-oncology · 2018Trial
- Meta-analysis of the effect of sexual health nursing interventions on improving post-treatment sexual dysfunction and partner relationship satisfaction in breast cancer patients.Sexual medicine · 2026Review
- 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
- The culturally adapted cognitive behavioral stress management program for enhancing psychological well-being and self-management of postoperative breast cancer patients: A randomized controlled study protocol in China.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2025Article
- Navigating Romantic Relationships and Sexual Intimacy: Challenges and Opportunities for Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer - A Literature Review of Qualitative Studies.Psycho-oncology · 2025Review
- Helping Her Heal-Ghana: A pilot feasibility study of a culturally adapted educational counseling intervention for spouse caregivers of women with breast cancer.Palliative & supportive care · 2025Article
- Cancer Patients' Attachment Styles in the First Year After Diagnosis: The Impact of Perceived Stress and Emotion Regulation Skills.Psychiatry and clinical psychopharmacology · 2025Article
- Latent Profile Analysis and Determinants of Marital Adjustment in Patients with Breast Cancer.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2024Article
- Emotionally focused couple therapy in cancer survivor couples with marital and sexual problems: a replicated single-case experimental design.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivePatients and partners both cope individually and as a dyad with challenges related to a breast cancer diagnosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a psychological attachment-oriented couple intervention for breast cancer patients and partners in the early treatment phase.
methodsA randomised controlled trial including 198 recently diagnosed breast cancer patients and their partners. Couples were randomised to the Hand in Hand (HiH) intervention in addition to usual care or to usual care only. Self-report assessments were conducted for both patients and partners at baseline, postintervention (5 months), and follow-up (10 months), assessing cancer-related distress, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and dyadic adjustment. Patients' cancer-related distress was the primary outcome.
resultsCancer-related distress decreased over time in both patients and partners, but the intervention did not significantly affect this decrease at postintervention (P = .08) or follow-up (P = .71). A significant positive effect was found on dyadic adjustment at follow-up for both patients (P = .04) and partners (P = .02).
conclusionsThere was no significant effect of the HiH intervention cancer-related distress. The results suggest that most couples can cope with cancer-related distress in the context of usual care. However, the positive effect on dyadic adjustment implies that the HiH intervention benefitted both patients and partners. Future studies should investigate how to integrate a couple focus in usual cancer care to improve dyadic coping in the early treatment phase.
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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.