Meaning Centered Psychotherapy for Palliative Care Patients (MCP-PC)

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This randomized, controlled trial evaluates the effectiveness of an adaptation of a well-established brief, structured existential psychotherapy (Meaning Centered Psychotherapy) specifically tailored to the needs of palliative care patients (MCP-PC). Terminally ill patients with cancer who have been hospitalized in a palliative care hospital will be randomly assigned to either MCP-PC or enhanced usual care. Patients will complete a very short battery of self-report measures before the 3-session intervention, and again 2 and 4 weeks later to determine whether treatment has bolstered spiritual and psychological well-being and improved quality of life.

Official Title
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Development of Meaning Centered Psychotherapy for Palliative Care Patients

Conditions
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Palliative Care

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Meaning Centered Psychotherapy


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Terminal illness with life expectancy of less than 6 months; hospitalized at a palliative care facility in Bronx NY, English speaking Exclusion Criteria: Cognitive impairment or severe psychiatric symptoms that preclude informed consent or participation in treatment.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 21 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Randomized controlled trial
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Placebo Comparator: Enhanced Usual Care<br>facilitate any clinical interventions | Behavioral: Meaning Centered Psychotherapy<br>* Manualized, 3-session existential psychotherapy (30-45 minutes/session) with an optional 4th booster session. Content focuses on enhancing patients sense of meaning and purpose in life.<br>|
| Experimental: Meaning Centered Psychotherapy<br>raise patients' sense of meaning/purpose | Behavioral: Meaning Centered Psychotherapy<br>* Manualized, 3-session existential psychotherapy (30-45 minutes/session) with an optional 4th booster session. Content focuses on enhancing patients sense of meaning and purpose in life.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Spiritual Well Being | Overall spiritual well-being as measured through the self-report FACIT Spiritual Well Being scale | Through study completion (approx 6 weeks) | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hopelessness | Self-report rating scale, the Hopelessness Assessment in Illness scale | Through study completion (approx 6 weeks) | 
| Acceptance of Death | Subscale derived from the Life Attitude Profile, a self-report measure of meaning and purpose | Through study completion (approx 6 weeks) | 
| Health related Quality of life | Single item rating of overall quality of life derived from the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire | Through study completion (approx 6 weeks) | 
| Desire for hastened death | Abbreviated version of the Schedule of Attitudes towards Hastened Death, a measure of desire for hastened death | Through study completion (approx 6 weeks) | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Spiritual well-being, Palliative care, Despair