CaringGuidance™ after breast cancer diagnosis eHealth psychoeducational intervention to reduce early post-diagnosis distress

PURPOSE: Significant cancer-related distress affects 30–60% of women diagnosed with breast cancer. Fewer than 30% of distressed patients receive psychosocial care. Unaddressed distress is associated with poor treatment adherence, reduced quality of life, and increased healthcare costs. This study aimed to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of a new web-based, psychoeducational distress self-management program, CaringGuidance™ After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, on newly diagnosed women’s reported distress. METHODS: One-hundred women, in five states, diagnosed with breast cancer within the prior 3 months, were randomized to 12 weeks of independent use of CaringGuidance™ plus usual care or usual care alone. The primary multidimensional outcome, distress, was measured with the Distress Thermometer (DT), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and the Impact of Events Scale (IES) at baseline and months 1, 2, and 3. Intervention usage was continually monitored by the data analytic system imbedded within CaringGuidance™. RESULTS: Although multilevel models showed no significant overall effects, post hoc analysis showed significant group differences in slopes occurring between study months 2 and 3 on distress (F(1,70) = 4.91, p = .03, η(2) = .065) measured by the DT, and depressive symptoms (F(1, 76) = 4.25, p = .043, η(2) = .053) favoring the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide preliminary support for the potential efficacy of CaringGuidance™ plus usual care over usual care alone on distress in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. This analysis supports and informs future study of this self-management program aimed at filling gaps in clinical distress management.