Support Needs and Preferences of Family Caregivers of Lung Cancer Patients

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study is being done to learn what the needs are in relation to the family members. Some family members seek counseling; others do not. The institution wants to try to understand why and wants to see if they can improve our support services for family members.

Official Title
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Support Needs and Preferences of Family Caregivers of Lung Cancer Patients

Conditions
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Lung Cancer

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Questionnaires/Interviews


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Primary family caregiver identified by a patient who is approximately within 4 to 6 weeks of a new visit to a thoracic clinic and receiving cancer care at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center or Queens Cancer Center Caregiver is at least 18 years of age. Caregiver has adequate English fluency for completion of data collection. The surveys were designed and validated in English and are not currently available in other languages. Translation of questionnaires into other languages would require reestablishing the reliability and validity of these measures. Therefore, participants must be able to communicate in English to complete the surveys. Clinically meaningful distress defined as a score of 8 or greater on the Anxiety or Depression subscale of the HADS (see Bjelland et al., 2002; Zigmond & Snaith, 1983). Exclusion Criteria: Patients or caregivers exhibiting significant psychiatric or cognitive impairment (dementia/delirium, retardation, active psychosis) that in the judgment of the investigators would preclude providing informed consent and study participation Patient has lung cancer recurrence Currently participating in a psychosocial intervention trial

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| family caregivers of lung cancer patients<br>In this 2-year pilot study, we plan to screen family caregivers of lung cancer patients within 4 to 6 weeks after the a new visit to the thoracic clinic. We will screen spouses, adult children, and other family members using the HAD-18 to determine their level of anxiety and depressive symptoms at enrollment. | Behavioral: Questionnaires/Interviews<br>* Baseline assessment of distressed caregivers within 4-6 weeks a new visit to the thoracic clinic. Three-month follow-up assessment of caregivers. Qualitative phone interviews with a subsample of 30 caregivers within 3 weeks of follow-up.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Assess psychosocial info & practical needs of prim family caregivers of lung cancer pts.Mental health (anxiety & depression)& behavioral health needs(smoking cessation,alcohol abuse)will be assessed b/c these 2 types of needs are strongly correlate |  | 13 to 16 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| To assess psychosocial and practical barriers to psychosocial support service use among primary family caregivers of lung cancer patients |  | 13 to 16 weeks | 
| To assess family caregivers' preferences (preferred topics, modality, provider, timing) regarding psychosocial support interventions. |  | 13 to 16 weeks | 
| To gather descriptive information regarding participant flow for planning future intervention studies. |  | 13 to 16 weeks | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Quality of Life, Questionnaires, Interviews, family members, care givers, 09-104