Objective: The purpose of this article is to evaluate an 8-week pilot intervention based on Social Cognitive Theory to improve quality of life for women with breast cancer.
Methods: A total of 32 breast cancer patients were randomized to either the intervention or standard care. Outcome variables included quality of life, mood, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and self-regulation.
Results: Effect sizes were calculated to examine the impact of the intervention, with moderate to large effect sizes found for several subscales of the outcome expectations variable: learning about cancer and treatment (d = 0.85), having a positive attitude (d = 0.54), talking about cancer (d = 1.02), engaging in relaxation (d = 0.62), and setting goals (d = 1.58).
Significance of results: A nonparametric sign test was conducted, indicating that women in the intervention condition either improved more or showed less decline than the women in standard care, p = .034, two-tailed. Implications and suggestions for the content and delivery of future psychosocial interventions with cancer patients are reviewed.