Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Each year, nearly 3,500 children are faced with the fact that one of their parents has cancer. Because cancer can be a serious disease, and almost always perceived as such, it often causes a dramatic change in the psychological functioning and quality of life of the family as a whole. Parents at this time will often ask for support so that they provide the best care for their children. People close to the affected family (the family’s social network) often want to offer support and help in different ways, but they are often unsure of how best to do so. There is very little research on how social networks can be strengthened and what impact their support can make on a family affected by parental cancer. The purpose of the study is to increase knowledge about how a social network can help children that have a parent living with cancer. Questions we want to answer is whether education and information provided to a family’s social network can improve the social support offered and how this support can improve the child's quality of life and general health.
Who can participate?
Families where one of the parents has been diagnosed with cancer within the last five years with at least one child aged between 8-18. People in a recruitment family’s social network should be at least 18 years old, can be extended family members, friends, neighbors and work colleagues, and should live close to the family.
What does the study involve?
The families taking part in the study are randomly allocated to one of two groups. Those in group 1 (intervention group) are offered the study program. Those in group 2 (control group) are not. The program lasts for three hours and includes an introduction, education about living with cancer as a family and the importance of social network support, and a discussion on individual family’s need for social support. Data on, for example, social support, mental health, quality of life are collected from a set of questionnaires completed by healthy parents living with a parent living with cancer, one child (the oldest if under 18) and people in the family social network at the start of the study, three months into the study and finally, six months into the study.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Not provided at time of registration
Where is the study run from?
Center for Crisis Psychology, Bergen (Norway)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
August 2013 to August 2016
Who is funding the study?
The Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian Directorate of Health
Who is the main contact?
Dr May Hauken
Trial website
http://www.krisepsyk.no/prosjekter/sosial-nettverksstotte-og-kreft
Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
2015-003431-35
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
213049/H10
Study information
Scientific title
A randomized controlled study on optimizing social network support and quality of life to families living with parental cancer through a Psycho-Educational Program for the Social Network
Acronym
Cancer-PEPSONE study: Psycho-Educational Program for the SOcial NEtwork
Study hypothesis
The purpose of the Cancer-PEPSONE study is to expand the base of knowledge and build competence in networks to help children living with parental cancer. The overall aim of the study is to optimize social support from the social network through a psycho-educational intervention. Based on the project’s aims and research model, we hypothesize that:
1. A psycho-educational program will improve the provisions of social support to the affected family
2. Parental psychosocial health and quality of life will increase through social network support
3. The children’s psychosocial health and quality of life will improve because of more and better social support and increased parental capacity, mental health and quality of life
Ethics approval
The Regional Committee of Research and Ethics in Western (REK West) Norway and the Norwegian Social Science Data Services (NSD), 09/10/2013, ref: 2013/1491/REK vest
Study design
Single-center randomized controlled intervention study
Primary study design
Interventional
Secondary study design
Randomised controlled trial
Trial setting
Home
Trial type
Other
Patient information sheet
Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet
Condition
We are studying if increased social support can improve quality of life of healthy partners and children living with parental cancer through a psychoeducational program for the family's network.
Intervention
The study has two arms:
1. The intervention arm
A psycho-educational program for the family and their network members in the intervention group. The parents in the intervention families decide who in the family and which network members would participate in the program. The program is conducted in the families’ homes, or else where they chose, by one of three experienced clinical psychologists, all of whom used to work with families and children in crisis. It lasts for approximately three hours. The intervention that contains the following elements:
1.1. Welcome and introduction (10-15 minutes)
1.2. Psycho-education about consequences of living with cancer in the family and the importance of social network support (approximately 1 hour)
1.3. Discussion (approximately 1½ hours): Based on the teaching session, the goal of the discussion is to enhance the family and its network members’ understanding of the value of open communication about the family’s need for social support and the network members’ ability and willingness to give such support
1.4. Summing up and closing (10 minutes)
A detailed procedure for the intervention is developed and reviewed by the intervention psychologists together with the authors, securing that the intervention is performed in the same manner for all families. After the meeting, the psychologists fill out a form with information about how the intervention went according to the protocol, who attended the meeting (roles/relations), the themes discussed, and a short field note to record any observations about the context and impressions arising from the meeting. All participants in the intervention also fill out an evaluation form on how they experienced the psycho-education.
2. The control group
The control-group do not get the intervention, but "treatment as usual". However, of ethical issues they are offered the intervention after 6 months (after they have filled out the final questionnaire).
Intervention type
Behavioural
Phase
Drug names
Primary outcome measure
1. Healthy parent: Social support, mental health and quality of life
2. Children: Mental health and Quality of life
3. Network: Social support
Collected via questionnaires at baseline, 3 months and 6 months.
Secondary outcome measures
1. Healthy parent: resilience, parental capacity
2. Network: quality of life, mental health, resilience
Collected via questionnaires at baseline, 3 months and 6 months.
Overall trial start date
01/08/2013
Overall trial end date
30/08/2016
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
1. A healthy parent having a partner or spouse diagnosed with cancer within the last five years
2. One child in every family, aged 8-18 years old, living with a parent who has cancer. With multiple children in the family, the oldest child who is willing to participate is recruited
3. Network members: The parents in the intervention group ask the number of network members they want to participate in the intervention. The inclusion criteria for these network members are: 3.1. Extended family members, friends, neighbors and work colleagues of the parents
3.2. 18 years or older
3.3. Living nearby the family
Participant type
Mixed
Age group
Mixed
Gender
Both
Target number of participants
60 healthy parents living with spousal cancer, 60 children living with parental cancer and approximately 200 network members
Participant exclusion criteria
1. Healthy parent: not living with the ill parent or the ill parent has died, serious disease themselves
2. Children: below 8 years, not living with ill parent, serious disease themselves
3. Network members: living more than two hours driving from the family
Recruitment start date
01/01/2014
Recruitment end date
31/07/2015
Locations
Countries of recruitment
Norway
Trial participating centre
Center for Crisis Psychology
Fortunen 7
N-5013 Bergen
Bergen
5013
Norway
Sponsor information
Organisation
Center for Crisis Psychology
Sponsor details
Fortunen 7
Bergen
No-5013 Bergen
Norway
+47 (0)55 59 61 80
email@krisepsyk.no
Sponsor type
Research organisation
Website
Organisation
University of Bergen
Sponsor details
Christies gate 13
Bergen
No- 5015 Bergen
Norway
+47 (0)55 58 27 10
post@psyfa.uib.no
Sponsor type
University/education
Website
Funders
Funder type
Research council
Funder name
Norges Forskningsråd
Alternative name(s)
Research Council of Norway, Forskningsrådet, Norwegian Research Council
Funding Body Type
government organisation
Funding Body Subtype
Federal/National Government
Location
Norway
Funder name
The Norwegian Directorate of Health
Alternative name(s)
Funding Body Type
Funding Body Subtype
Location
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
To be confirmed at a later date, but probably publications in 2016 -2017
Intention to publish date
01/06/2017
Participant level data
Not provided at time of registration
Basic results (scientific)
Publication list
2015 protocol in: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26733339
2016 results in: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27891702