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01-02-2017 | Original Article

The Enhancing Connections-Telephone study: a pilot feasibility test of a cancer parenting program

Authors: Frances Marcus Lewis, Kristin A. Griffith, Amy Walker, Robin M. Lally, Elizabeth T. Loggers, Ellen H. Zahlis, Mary Ellen Shands, Zainab Alzawad, Hebah AL Mulla, Nai-ching Chi

Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer | Issue 2/2017

Abstract

Purpose

The purposes of the study were to (1) test the short-term impact of a telephone-delivered cancer parenting education program, the Enhancing Connections-Telephone (EC-T) Program, on maternal anxiety, depressed mood, parenting competencies, and child behavioral-emotional adjustment and (2) compare those outcomes with outcomes achieved from an in-person delivery of the same program (EC).

Methods

Thirty-two mothers comprised the sample for the within-group design and 77 mothers for the between-group design. Mothers were eligible if they had one or more dependent children and were recently diagnosed with stages 0–III breast cancer. Mothers in both groups received five intervention sessions at 2-week intervals from a patient educator using a fully scripted intervention manual.

Results

Outcomes from the within-group analysis revealed significant improvements on maternal anxiety, parenting competencies, and the child’s behavioral-emotional functioning. Outcomes from the between-group analysis showed the EC-T did as well or better than EC in positively affecting maternal anxiety, depressed mood, parenting competencies, and the child’s behavioral-emotional adjustment. Furthermore, the EC-T had a significantly greater impact than the EC on maternal confidence in helping their family and themselves manage the cancer’s impact and in staying calm during emotionally charged conversations about the breast cancer with their child.

Conclusions

Regardless of the channel of delivery, the Enhancing Connections Program has the potential to positively affect parenting competencies and behavioral-emotional adjustment in mothers and dependent children in the first year of stages 0–III maternal breast cancer. Its positive impact from telephone delivery holds promise for sustainability.

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Title: The Enhancing Connections-Telephone study: a pilot feasibility test of a cancer parenting program
Authors: Frances Marcus Lewis
Kristin A. Griffith
Amy Walker
Robin M. Lally
Elizabeth T. Loggers
Ellen H. Zahlis
Mary Ellen Shands
Zainab Alzawad
Hebah AL Mulla
Nai-ching Chi
Publication date: 01-02-2017
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Supportive Care in Cancer / Issue 2/2017
Print ISSN: 0941-4355
Electronic ISSN: 1433-7339
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-016-3448-z

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Abstract

Purpose

Methods

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