Chronic cancer-related fatigue: The effects of cognitive behavioral therapy on reducing post-cancer fatigue in clinical practice
Year: 2017
Type: dissertation
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Persistent severe fatigue is highly prevalent in cancer survivors and has long-term negative effects.This study's purpose is to examine the effectiveness of evidence-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in reducing post-cancer fatigue in clinical practice.The effectiveness of CBT is based on the assumption that cancer and its treatment trigger the experience of fatigue, but cognitive and behavioral factors are contributing to the persistence of the fatigue.Forty three cancer survivors with severe chronic fatigue that fulfilled the criteria for undifferentiated somatoform disorder (DSM-IV) and received CBT at the Helen Dowling Institute participated in the study.A quasi-experimental one-group pre-test post-test design was used to assess fatigue severity, functional impairment and psychological distress using the Checklist Individual Strength fatigue severity subscale, RAND-36 and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.Clients reported a significantly greater decrease in fatigue severity, functional impairment and psychological distress after therapy.Clinically significant improvement was seen in 14% of the clients.CBT in clinical practice seems effective in reducing post-cancer fatigue, as fatigue severity reduced more among clients in clinical practice than clients in the RCT waiting list condition.However, the effect of the intervention in clinical practice was less than the intervention in the RCT.Further research should focus on the effect of therapist drift in explaining the differences between the RCT and clinical practice and the long-term effects of the intervention, as RCT results can not be generalized to clinical practice because it controls variables and circumstances that can not be controlled in clinical practice.
Author: Santegoets, Marlijn
Language: English
Topic: Cancer survivorship and care
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7018063528