Young adult Latino testicular cancer survivors experience adverse impacts after treatment. We developed Goal-focused Emotion regulation Therapy (GET) to improve distress symptoms, goal navigation skills, and emotion regulation. This open pilot trial extended GET to Latino young adult survivors of testicular cancer and assessed feasibility and tolerability as well as changes in anxiety and depressive symptoms. Secondary outcomes included goal navigation, emotion regulation, and components of hope-related goal processes (i.e., agency and pathway mapping). To assess the extent to which GET is culturally congruent or in need of adaptation, the influence of simpatía and acculturative stress were also examined.
Thirty-five eligible young adult (age 18-39) survivors treated with chemotherapy were enrolled and assessed at baseline. Study acceptability, tolerability, and therapeutic alliance were examined. Preliminary efficacy was evaluated for changes in anxiety and depressive symptoms as well as psychological processes (goal navigation, agency, goal pathway skill, and emotion regulation) from baseline to immediate post- and 3-month post-intervention.
Among the 35 men assessed at baseline, 54% initiated intervention sessions. Among these, 94.7% completed all study procedures. Helpfulness ratings of intervention components and therapeutic alliance scores were strong. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms from pre- to post-intervention with sustained change at the 3-month follow-up. Favorable patterns of change were also observed in GET-related psychological processes. Simpatía was associated with less depressive symptoms at post-intervention, but not change in anxiety. Acculturative stress was associated with increased anxiety and depressive symptoms over time.
GET is a feasible and acceptable intervention for reducing adverse outcomes after testicular cancer for young adult Latino men. Results should be considered preliminary but suggest meaningful changes in emotional and psychological outcomes.
Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer. 2024 Oct 30*** epublish ***
Michael A Hoyt, Belinda Campos, Jose G Lechuga, Michelle A Fortier, Karen Llave, Marcie Haydon, Michael Daneshvar, Christian J Nelson, Baolin Wu
Department of Population Health & Disease Prevention, Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, University of California, 856 Health Sciences Drive, Irvine, CA, 92697-3957, USA. ., Department of Chicano/Latino Studies, University of California, Irvine, USA., Department of Population Health & Disease Prevention, Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, University of California, 856 Health Sciences Drive, Irvine, CA, 92697-3957, USA., Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, USA., Department of Urology, University of California, Irvine, USA., Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.