Abstract
This study was initiated by breast cancer survivors living in a rural community in California. They formed a partnership with academic researchers to develop and evaluate a low-cost, community-based Workbook-Journal (WBJ) for improving psychosocial functioning in geographically and economically isolated women with primary breast cancer. A randomized controlled trial was used to compare the WBJ intervention. One rural cancer center and several private medical, surgical, and radiation oncology practices in 7 rural counties in the Sierra Nevada Foothills of California. One hundred women with primary breast cancer who were either within 3 months of diagnosis or within 3 months of completing treatment. Retention at 3-month follow-up was 98%. Women who were treated in rural practices reported decreased fighting spirit and increased emotional venting and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms if they did not receive the WBJ. Among women who received the WBJ, 74% felt emotionally supported. This community-based Workbook-Journal may be an effective psychosocial intervention for rural, isolated, and low-income women with breast cancer. Community involvement was essential to the success of this project. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 499-507 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of General Internal Medicine |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| Publication status | Published - 2003 |
