Metacognitive Therapy for Emotional Distress in Adult Cancer Survivors: A Case Series.
Peter L FisherAngela ByrnePeter SalmonPublished in: Cognitive therapy and research (2017)
Many adult cancer survivors experience persistent emotional distress after completing cancer treatment. The aim of this study was to test the potential of a brief transdiagnostic psychological intervention-metacognitive therapy (MCT)-in reducing emotional distress in adult cancer survivors. A non-concurrent multiple baseline design with 3- and 6-months follow-up was used to evaluate the effects of MCT in four patients consecutively referred to a psycho-oncology service. Each patient received six 1-h sessions of MCT. Anxiety, depression, worry/rumination, fear of cancer recurrence and metacognitive beliefs were assessed using self-report questionnaires. MCT was associated with clinically significant reductions in anxiety, depression, fear of cancer recurrence, worry/rumination and metacognitive beliefs at the end of treatment, and gains were maintained in all patients to 3-months follow-up and in three out of four patients to 6-months follow-up. MCT is a promising brief transdiagnostic approach to psychological morbidity in adult survivors of cancer. Larger scale controlled trials are now required.
Keyphrases
- end stage renal disease
- childhood cancer
- ejection fraction
- newly diagnosed
- young adults
- chronic kidney disease
- papillary thyroid
- randomized controlled trial
- prognostic factors
- healthcare
- sleep quality
- squamous cell carcinoma
- depressive symptoms
- peritoneal dialysis
- mental health
- patient reported outcomes
- radiation therapy
- bone marrow
- climate change
- palliative care
- combination therapy
- patient reported
- smoking cessation
- case report