Primary outcome: Anxiety is the primary outcome, as Coping-Together focuses on coping strategies to manage high levels of anxiety directly and/or cope with cancer demands known to trigger anxiety.
The proposed study is a multicentre, stratified, double-blind, three-group, parallel, randomised controlled trial to compare generic Coping-Together, tailored Coping-Together and the MEC condition (see figure 1).
Coping-Together collates the evidence on coping with these challenges and presents these as 'suggestions' to patients and partners across six booklets, a DVD, a relaxation CD, and a website.
Coping-Together is an innovative coping skills training intervention that translates evidence-based strategies for effective illness self-management and coping into a readily accessible format that couples can use where and when they need to.
46 48 Coping-Together takes a holistic approach to coping with cancer by addressing a range of common physical, social and psychological challenges.
Coping-Together takes on a holistic approach to coping with cancer by including strategies to manage physical, social, psychological, and existential cancer-related challenges.
To address this gap in the literature our team has recently developed Coping-Together, 46 48 a self-directed coping skills training intervention for couples affected by cancer.
This study will examine the feasibility of a self-directed, coping skills intervention for couples affected by cancer, called Coping-Together, and begin to explore its potential impact on couples' illness adjustment.
46 47 56 Many couples rated the booklets highly and the concrete coping strategies described was a feature that set Coping-Together apart from other resources.
How the content of the Coping-Together intervention is expected to enhance the coping process is further depicted in Figure 1.
