RESUMO
Couplelinks is an original, professionally facilitated online intervention tailored to the unique challenges facing young women with breast cancer and their male partners. The purpose of this evaluation was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and areas for improvement. Sixteen couples were sequentially enrolled over an 18-month period. Couples provided feedback via a treatment satisfaction survey, and post-treatment interviews with a sub-group of participants. Qualitative information was analysed for themes relevant to the program's acceptability, perceived benefits and limitations, and directions for improvement. Of the 16 couples who enrolled, six completed four modules or less, and 10 completed the entire program. Completers reported satisfaction with the program overall, as well as with the website useability and professional facilitation. Reported benefits were: enhanced communication and self-other knowledge; creation of opportunities for meaningful, cancer-related discussion; affirmation of relationship strengths; and a greater sense of closeness between partners. The main reported limitation was how program participation disrupted the couple's usual routine. Themes related to non-completion suggest that partners with particularly elevated relational or illness-related distress, or with differential levels of motivation, are less likely to finish. These findings have led to targeted improvements to the website and intervention protocol.
Assuntos
Neoplasias da Mama/psicologia , Características da Família , Internet , Estresse Psicológico/terapia , Adulto , Comunicação , Estudos de Viabilidade , Feminino , Humanos , Relações Interpessoais , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Aceitação pelo Paciente de Cuidados de Saúde , Satisfação do Paciente , Projetos Piloto , Estresse Psicológico/psicologia , Terapia Assistida por ComputadorRESUMO
The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a structured exposure-based behavior therapy program delivered by telephone to agoraphobic individuals who were isolated from specialized treatment centres. Forty-two individuals with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of panic disorder with agoraphobia who were living in rural areas of Ontario were assigned to either an eight-session telephone behavior therapy program or wait-list control condition. There were significant treatment x time interaction effects on several outcome variables. Patients originally in the wait-list group then received the same type of therapy and they also significantly improved. All treatment gains were maintained at three-month and six-month follow-up. Telephone behavior therapy appears to be a cost-effective and efficacious treatment for agoraphobics living in remote regions where specialized anxiety disorder services are not readily available.
Assuntos
Agorafobia/terapia , Dessensibilização Psicológica/métodos , Transtorno de Pânico/terapia , Telefone , Adulto , Agorafobia/psicologia , Feminino , Seguimentos , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Ontário , Transtorno de Pânico/psicologia , População Rural , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
A questionnaire on anxiety disorder services was sent to 240 Canadian hospitals, of which 117 responded. Eighteen of the responding hospitals had anxiety disorder clinics and saw an average of 208 patients a year. These clinics appear to be scarce although, according to epidemiological studies, there is a high prevalence of anxiety disorders in the community. The specific diagnoses of the patients seen in the specialty clinics and the treatments offered generally followed international patterns.