Long-term effectiveness and moderators of a web-based tailored intervention for cancer survivors on social and emotional functioning, depression, and fatigue: randomized controlled trial

PURPOSE: The web-based computer-tailored Kanker Nazorg Wijzer (Cancer Aftercare Guide) supports cancer survivors with psychosocial issues during cancer recovery. The current study investigates whether the 6-month effects in increasing emotional and social functioning and reducing depression and fatigue hold at 12 months from baseline. Moreover, it explores whether patient characteristics moderate the 6- and 12-month intervention effectiveness. METHODS: Cancer survivors from 21 Dutch hospitals (November 2013–June 2014) were randomized to an intervention (n = 231) or a wait-list control group (n = 231). Intervention effects on emotional and social functioning (EORTC QLQ-C30), depression (HADS), and fatigue (CIS) were evaluated through multilevel linear regression analyses. RESULTS: At 12 months from baseline, the intervention group no longer differed from the control group in emotional and social functioning, depression, and fatigue. Moderator analyses indicated that, at 6 months, the intervention was effective in improving social functioning for men (d = 0.34), reducing fatigue for participants ≤56 years (d = 0.44), and reducing depression for participants who received chemotherapy (d = 0.36). At 12 months, participants with a medium educational level reported higher social functioning (d = 0.19), while participants with a low educational level reported lower social functioning (d = 0.22) than participants with a similar educational level in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention gave cancer patients a head start to psychological recovery after the end of cancer treatment. The control group caught up in the long run. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: The Cancer Aftercare Guide expedited recovery after cancer treatment. Being a low intensity, easy accessible, and relatively low cost intervention, it could serve as a relevant step in recovery and stepped care. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11764-017-0625-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.