Psychological Intervention for Caregivers of Patients With Malignant Gliomas

Mass General Brigham

Status: Completed

Conditions: Malignant Glioma

Treatments: Other: Psychological Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NETWORK; NIH

Identifiers

NCT03735498

18-426

U24NR014637 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

This research study is evaluating a psychological intervention for caregivers of loved ones with malignant gliomas.

Full description

Caregivers of loved ones with malignant gliomas frequently experience a physical and psychological burden caring for their loved ones. The purpose of this study is to find out whether a psychological intervention can help caregivers learn effective coping methods during their loved one's treatment and make the experience of being a caregiver more manageable.

The psychological intervention will take place in a series of six sessions. A trained social worker or psychologist will meet with the participant or talk with the participant over the telephone or by video conference for 45 minutes at a time to discuss the caregiver experience while developing effective skills to support the loved one as well as the participant over the course of the loved one's illness.

Upon the completion of the sessions, the investigators will have a short (30-minute) exit interview to obtain the participant's feedback on the intervention. The investigators will use the feedback to improve the intervention before further testing its effectiveness in future research studies. The investigators will also ask the participant to complete questionnaires before and after their participation in the intervention to help the investigators understand the participant's coping skills, caregiving burden, mood, and understanding about the loved one's illness.

Enrollment: 13 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age ≥ 18
• Identified by a patient with a malignant glioma (WHO Grade III or IV glioma) as the patient's primary caregiver
• The patient is receiving care at the MGH Cancer Center
• The patient was diagnosed with a malignant glioma within the past 6 months
• Able to speak and read in English
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) score ≥5
• Participants may or may not be pregnant.

Exclusion criteria

• Deemed inappropriate for the study by the patient's clinician or the study PI

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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13 participants in 1 patient group

Psychological Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

* Qualitative interview will be conducted * 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder measure will be completed by participants via mail correspondence or online * A psychoeducational component to address preparedness, manage expectations, and develop caregiving skills * A psychosocial component focusing on coping strategies, mindfulness, and facilitating acceptance while living with uncertainty * A self-care component to promote caregiver health and well-being

Treatment:

Other: Psychological Intervention