Sustained Effects of a 6-Week Resiliency Program for Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Brief Report of a Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE

Spiritual distress is common in those with metastatic cancer. We evaluated the sustained effects of an empirically anchored 6-week psychoeducation program, Growing Resilience And CouragE (GRACE), on spiritual well-being, quality of life, and psychosocial symptoms.

METHODS

Primary and secondary outcomes were assessed at baseline (T0), immediately after GRACE (T1), 1 month after GRACE (T2), and 6 months later (T3). Intervention and waitlist control groups (from the randomized clinical trial) were combined for this analysis. A generalized additive model for location, scale, and shape was used.

RESULTS

Data from 54 women with metastatic breast cancer who received GRACE were analyzed. All outcomes (spiritual well-being, quality of life, and psychosocial symptoms) significantly improved at T1, T2, and T3 compared to baseline (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

GRACE is beneficial for the spiritual well-being, quality of life, and psychosocial well-being of women with metastatic breast cancer, and these benefits appear to be sustained at 6 months post-intervention.