[What Interventions Best Provide Psychosocial Support for People with Cancer?]

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this chance for thanking my research facilitator, friends & family for support they provided & their belief in me as well as guidance they provided without which I would have never been able to do this research.

DECLARATION

I, (Your name), would like to declare that all contents included in this thesis/dissertation stand for my individual work without any aid, & this thesis/dissertation has not been submitted for any examination at academic as well as professional level previously. It is also representing my very own views & not essentially which are associated with university.

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ABSTRACT

Complex cancer is linked with the emotional suffering and pains, especially feelings of sadness and depression. Up till now it is unclear that what the most successful and effective technique for addressing these problems and issues is. This critical literature review takes into account the impacts of psychosocial interventions on the patient's quality of life with complex or advanced cancer. In this research, it was assumed the patients suffering from advanced cancer can get benefits from the psychosocial interventions for the improvement of quality of life, particularly in the emotional functions area or domain. This critical literature review was conducted by the usage of methodology of systematic review, by involvement of a systematic search of secondary research between the years 1990-2002, assessment of quality of studies included, narrative synthesis of data and systematic extraction of data. All in all, a total of 10 randomised studies relating to 13 trials were taken into account. There was heterogeneity found in the outcome measures and overall interventions across studies. The most frequent measurement of outcome was taken into account, relating to the dimensions of quality of life for the emotional functioning. Like depression, in 12 trials there were positive impacts found on one or more pointers of quality of life by evaluation of behaviour therapy. For patients suffering from advanced cancer, behaviour therapy is highly recommended after the critical review of the literature.

Keywords: quality of life, behaviour therapy, psychosocial interventions, a systematic review, palliative care, advance cancer

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 01: INTRODUCTION7

Background7

Rationale9

Objective9

CHAPTER 02: METHODOLOGY10

Strategy for Search10

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria11

Quality of Methods12

Quality of Appraisal13

Extraction of Data13

CHAPTER 03: RESULTS AND FINDINGS15

Types of Studies15

Included Trials Description16

Types of Interventions16

Types of Participants17

Setting18

Intervention Format18

Impacts of the Quality of Life18

Distress19

Coping19

Physical Functioning20

Global Measures for the Quality of Life of Advanced Cancer Patients20

CHAPTER 04: DISCUSSION21

Comparison with Recent Researches23

Research Limitations24

CHAPTER 05: CONCLUSION AND FURTHER RESEARCH26

Future Research27

REFERENCES28

APPENDICES39

Appendix - A39

Table of Included Studies39

Appendix - B49

Exclusion Table49

Appendix - C50

Evaluation of Studies under Internal Validity Criteria50

Appendix - D53

Eligible Studies and Types53

CHAPTER 01: INTRODUCTION

Background

In the year 1998, there were almost sixty thousand new patients of cancer identified and diagnosed in Netherlands (Visser et al, 2002 78). There were thirty seven thousand deaths due to cancer, in the same year (Visser et al, 2002 35). Till date these are the highest number of deaths and patients diagnosis. Almost half of the patients were not provided with the treatment or could not be cured with the intention of ...