As a result of the cancer diagnosis and medical therapies, women with breast cancer often encounter debilitating cooccurring psychological and physical symptoms. While pain constitutes one of the most common adverse physical side effects of medical treatment reported by breast cancer patients, the most prevalent psychological symptom they seek psychological help for is depressive symptoms. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in psychosocial oncology care may be particularly beneficial in targeting depression and cancer-related pain. The aim of the I-CAN-ACT project is to examine in a RCT the efficacy of a brief ACT-based intervention for both depression and physical pain (6 online sessions) compared to a waitlist control on various outcomes in women with breast cancer.
Based on preliminary empirical findings, the hypotheses of this study are:
1. The group ACT-based intervention will demonstrate significantly greater improvements in the primary outcome (quality of life: physical well-being, emotional well-being, social/family well-being, functional well-being, additional concerns for breast cancer) compared to the WL at post-treatment, at 1-month and 3-month follow-ups.
2. The group ACT-based intervention will demonstrate significantly greater reductions in the secondary outcomes (pain intensity and interference, depression and anxiety) compared to the WL at post-treatment, at 1-month and 3-month follow-ups.
3. The group ACT-based intervention will present significant improvements in the ACT components (acceptance, cognitive defusion, contact with the present moment, self-as-context, self-compassion, values clarification, committed action) compared to the WL at post-treatment, at 1-month and 3-month follow-ups.
4. It is hypothesized that the mechanisms/core processes, via which ACT is expected to exert its effects, will mediate pre to 1-month follow-up and pre to 3-month follow-up quality of life scores (primary outcome) for the ACT-based intervention.
5. It is hypothesized that the mechanisms/core processes, via which ACT is expected to exert its effects, will mediate pre to 1-month follow-up and pre to 3-month follow-up scores of secondary outcomes (physical pain intensity and interference, depression, anxiety).
6. Completing any ACT skill in a session will lead to improvement in that specific skill (ACT proposed mechanism of action) in-the-moment within each week of the group ACT-based intervention.
This is the first study to:
i. examine the longitudinal effects (1-month and 3-month follow ups) of an ACT intervention on both depression and physical pain, which often co-occur in female breast cancer patients ii. examine all the processes of change in ACT responsible for effective treatment outcomes in women with breast cancer iii. offer a brief ACT intervention for this population iv. assess participants' treatment acceptability and adherence to an ACT-based intervention in terms of retention, treatment engagement and satisfaction with treatment for this population v. assess therapists' fidelity/adherence to the protocol and the ACT approach as well as the therapists' competence, when implementing a RCT for women with breast cancer vi. employ the innovative methodological approach of Ecological Momentary Assessment through a mobile application in addition to standardized pre post-follow-up self-report questionnaires to assess changes in the ACT processes as a result of intervention
