Kwon SY, et al. J Korean Acad Nurs. 2016 Feb;46(1):50-58. http://dx.doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2016.46.1.50

Background: This study aimed to enhance post-traumatic growth in young breast cancer patients by providing them with self-disclosure and social support resources, to reduce intrusive rumination and increase deliberate rumination. This study was conducted at a university-based cancer center in Seoul, South Korea. The study included a four-week group-based psychoeducational program, which supported the post-traumatic personal growth of breast cancer patients. The primary outcome was increased post-traumatic growth, and the secondary outcomes were rumination, distress, and traumatic perception. Methods: The study included 38 young breast cancer patients, with a mean age of 42.21 years and mean time since diagnosis of 13.84 months. Results: Results of the study revealed statistically significant improvements in total post-traumatic growth and all subdomains, after the intervention (p < 0.001) and one month later (p < 0.001), as compared to the baseline. A significant improvement was also observed in deliberate rumination after the intervention (p = 0.038). Furthermore, the patients had a statistically significant decrease in anxiety, after the intervention (p = 0.035) and one month later (p = 0.005), as compared to the baseline. Conclusions: Overall, the program encourages activities that promote post-traumatic growth, enabling young breast cancer patients to return to their normal lives. Specifically, the growth allows patients to return to work and maintain a healthy body and mind. The results of this study indicate that this program can be used as an effective psychological intervention for young breast cancer patients.

Jun SY, et al. J Korean Acad Nurs Adm. 2014 Jun;20(3):342-352. http://dx.doi.org/10.11111/jkana.2014.20.3.342

Purpose We developed a comprehensive return to work (RTW) intervention covering physical, psycho-social and practical issues for patients newly diagnosed and evaluated its efficacy in terms of RTW.Materials and Methods A multi-center randomized controlled trial was done to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention conducted at two university-based cancer centers in Korea. The intervention program comprised educational material at diagnosis, a face-to-face educational session at completion of active treatment, and three individualized telephone counseling sessions. The control group received other education at enrollment.Results At 1-month post-intervention (T2), the intervention group was more likely to be working compared to the control group after controlling working status at diagnosis (65.4% vs. 55.9%, p=0.037). Among patients who did not work at baseline, the intervention group was 1.99-times more likely to be working at T2. The mean of knowledge score was higher in the intervention group compared to the control group (7.4 vs. 6.8, p=0.029). At the 1-year follow-up, the intervention group was 65% (95% confidence interval, 0.78 to 3.48) more likely to have higher odds for having work.Conclusion The intervention improved work-related knowledge and was effective in facilitating cancer patients’ RTW.

Bae KR, et al. Asian Oncol Nurs. 2017 Dec;17(4):213-219. https://doi.org/10.5388/aon.2017.17.4.213