A pilot randomized study of a telephone-based cognitive-behavioral stress-management intervention to reduce distress in phase 1 oncology trial caregivers.

OBJECTIVES: Caregivers of adult phase 1 oncology trial patients experience high levels of distress and face barriers to in-person supportive care. The Phase 1 Caregiver LifeLine (P1CaLL) pilot study assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and general impact of an individual telephone-based cognitive behavioral stress-management (CBSM) intervention for caregivers of phase I oncology trial patients. METHODS: The pilot study involved 4 weekly adapted CBSM sessions followed by participant randomization to 4 weekly cognitive behavioral therapy sessions or metta-meditation sessions. A mixed-methods design used quantitative data from 23 caregivers and qualitative data from 5 caregivers to examine the feasibility and acceptability outcomes. Feasibility was determined using recruitment, retention, and assessment completion rates. Acceptability was assessed with self-reported satisfaction with program content and participation barriers. Baseline to post-intervention changes in caregiver distress and other psychosocial outcomes were assessed for the 8-session intervention. RESULTS: The enrollment rate was 45.3%, which demonstrated limited feasibility based on an a priori criterion enrollment rate of 50%. Participants completed an average of 4.9 sessions, with 9/25 (36%) completing all sessions and an 84% assessment completion rate. Intervention acceptability was high, and participants found the sessions helpful in managing stress related to the phase 1 oncology trial patient experience. Participants showed reductions in worry and isolation and stress. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The P1CaLL study demonstrated adequate acceptability and limited feasibility and provided data on the general impact of the intervention on caregiver distress and other psychosocial outcomes. Caregivers of phase 1 oncology trial patients would benefit from supportive care services; a telephone-based intervention may have more utilization and thus make a larger impact.

Risk factors for steroid-induced affective disorder in children with leukemia.

Corticosteroids are essential to treating childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and can cause significant neuropsychiatric side effects. This retrospective chart review is a preliminary exploration of characteristics associated with psychiatry consultation and steroid-induced affective disorder (SIAD) during ALL treatment. Of 125 ALL patients (ages 1-10 years), 56 (44.8%) received psychiatry consultation. Thirty-nine (31.2%) of the total cohort were diagnosed with SIAD. SIAD was significantly associated with family psychiatric history, but not with steroid exposure, CNS radiation, sociodemographic factors, developmental delay, Trisomy 21, or prior psychiatric history. Gathering family psychiatric history may help identify children at increased risk of SIAD.

Burnout in psychosocial oncology clinicians: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have examined burnout in psychosocial oncology clinicians. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize what is known about the prevalence and severity of burnout in psychosocial clinicians who work in oncology settings and the factors that are believed to contribute or protect against it. METHOD: Articles on burnout (including compassion fatigue and secondary trauma) in psychosocial oncology clinicians were identified by searching PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and the Web of Science Core Collection. RESULTS: Thirty-eight articles were reviewed at the full-text level, and of those, nine met study inclusion criteria. All were published between 2004 and 2018 and included data from 678 psychosocial clinicians. Quality assessment revealed relatively low risk of bias and high methodological quality. Study composition and sample size varied greatly, and the majority of clinicians were aged between 40 and 59 years. Across studies, 10 different measures were used to assess burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion fatigue, in addition to factors that might impact burnout, including work engagement, meaning, and moral distress. When compared with other medical professionals, psychosocial oncology clinicians endorsed lower levels of burnout. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: This systematic review suggests that psychosocial clinicians are not at increased risk of burnout compared with other health care professionals working in oncology or in mental health. Although the data are quite limited, several factors appear to be associated with less burnout in psychosocial clinicians, including exposure to patient recovery, discussing traumas, less moral distress, and finding meaning in their work. More research using standardized measures of burnout with larger samples of clinicians is needed to examine both prevalence rates and how the experience of burnout changes over time. By virtue of their training, psychosocial clinicians are well placed to support each other and their nursing and medical colleagues.