A Study of Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Caregivers to People With Cancer

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK)

Status and phase: Enrolling; Phase 3

Conditions: Caregiver Burnout; Caregiver Burden; Caregiver Stress Syndrome

Treatments: Behavioral: Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Caregivers; Behavioral: Supportive Psychotherapy for Caregivers

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06307535

23-376

Details and patient eligibility

About

Participants will complete 1 set of questionnaires about 2 weeks before beginning their Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Caregivers/MCP-C or standard Supportive Psychotherapy for Caregivers/SP-C sessions. These questionnaires will ask about participants' sense of meaning and purpose in life, spiritual well-being, depression and/or anxiety, and social support. Participants will then be assigned to receive either MCP-C or SP-C for 7 sessions. Participants will complete additional sets of questionnaires about 2 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after their last session of MCP-C or SP-C. It will take between 35 and 50 minutes to complete each set of questionnaires.

After participants complete the MCP-C or SP-C sessions and all 4 sets of questionnaires, their participation in this study will end. If participants decide not to complete all 7 sessions, they may still choose to complete the questionnaires.

Participants may remain in the study and continue to receive all 7 sessions of MCP-C or SP-C even if their loved one passes away.

Enrollment: 200 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 or over;
• As per self-report, a current caregiver to a patient with Stage III or IV solid tumor cancer currently receiving medical care of any kind (e.g., curative, palliative);
• Experiences distress as evidenced by a score of 4 or greater on the Distress Thermometer (DT) and an indication that this distress is associated with caregiving;
• As per self-report, can read and understand English;
• As per self-report, residing in New York, New Jersey, or Florida, or have the ability to complete sessions while complying with current telehealth regulations.

Exclusion criteria

• Participant does not have a reasonable understanding of the study activities by the judgment of the consenting professional;
• Engagement in regular individual psychotherapeutic support that the participant is unable or unwilling to put on hold for the course of treatment.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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200 participants in 2 patient groups

Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Caregivers

Experimental group

Description:

Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Caregivers/MCP-C

Treatment:

Behavioral: Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Caregivers

Supportive Psychotherapy for Caregivers

Active Comparator group

Description:

Supportive Psychotherapy for Caregivers/SP-C standard of care

Treatment:

Behavioral: Supportive Psychotherapy for Caregivers