Abstract
BackgroundYoung breast cancer survivors (aged 50 years and under) and their partners are at an elevated risk for relationship distress and poor psychological adjustment relative to older age couples. Limited availability of time and resources and the distance to travel are major barriers to engaging in evidence-based psychosocial support programs. This paper describes the study protocol of a novel, manualized online intervention called Couplelinks that was developed to improve relationship adjustment and psychological wellbeing of young couples affected by breast cancer. Couplelinks is a custom-designed website offering a professionally facilitated, couple-centered intervention that entails informational, experiential, and interactive components.Methods/DesignA total of 80 heterosexual couples from across Canada in which the female partner has been diagnosed with a primary breast cancer will be recruited and randomized to a treatment or waitlist control group. Six dyadic learning modules form the core of the program and will be undertaken on a weekly basis. The manualized online intervention involves psycho-education and experiential exercises to enhance communication, coping ability, mutual empathy, and perspective-taking in relation to cancer. An online facilitator who is a trained mental health professional will guide and support couples throughout the process. Data collection will occur at baseline, at post-treatment or eight weeks into the waiting period, and at the three-month follow-up assessment. Primary outcome measures include the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Survey (RDAS) and Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI) scores, and secondary outcome measures include the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Survey (HADS) score.DiscussionCouplelinks is one of the first internet-based psychological interventions to improve the psychosocial adjustment of couples coping with a life-threatening illness such as cancer. If successful, the design of this program as described in this paper makes a valuable contribution to the literature on the delivery of couple-focused psychosocial interventions, both within and outside of oncology.Trial registrationThis trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT01089764) on 17 March 2010.
Highlights
Young breast cancer survivors and their partners are at an elevated risk for relationship distress and poor psychological adjustment relative to older age couples
Couplelinks is one of the first internet-based psychological interventions to improve the psychosocial adjustment of couples coping with a life-threatening illness such as cancer
The design of this program as described in this paper makes a valuable contribution to the literature on the delivery of couple-focused psychosocial interventions, both within and outside of oncology
Summary
The potential for Couplelinks to fill a void in the support options available to both younger women with BC and their male partners is great. DM contributed to the initial conceptualization and design of the study, grant writing and securing funding for the RCT, creation and development of Couplelinks, and editing the manuscript. JS contributed to the initial conceptualization and design of the study, grant writing and securing funding for the RCT, creation and development of Couplelinks, and editing the final manuscript. Psych, is a registered Clinical and Health Psychologist She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at York University and Clinician Scientist at the Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, where she provides psychosocial interventions to cancer patients. DM, RN, PhD, is a Clinician Scientist in nursing with the Queen Elizabeth II Cancer Care Program in Halifax, Nova Scotia She is a clinical member with the psychosocial oncology team, where she provides individual, couple, and family therapy to people affected by cancer.
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