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Who benefits from psychosocial interventions in oncology? A systematic review of psychological moderators of treatment outcome

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Abstract

Medical and demographic characteristics and psychological morbidity of individuals with cancer prior to a psychosocial intervention can influence the efficacy of interventions. However, little is known about the moderating role of patients’ psychosocial characteristics on intervention effects. This review sought to identify and synthesize the impacts of psychosocial moderators of the effect of psychosocial interventions on the psychological well-being of cancer patients. A systematic review of the published literature was conducted. Databases searched included PsycINFO, PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection. Randomized controlled studies examining a moderator effect of patients’ psychosocial characteristics other than baseline depression and anxiety levels were included. Of 199 potential papers, a total of 20 studies, involving 3,340 heterogeneous cancer patients are included. Of the 17 potential psychosocial moderators examined in this review, 14 significantly moderated the effects of interventions. Moderators were categorized into personality traits, mental and physical quality of life, social environment, and self-efficacy. Patients with poorer quality of life, interpersonal relationships and sense of control benefitted more from interventions than those who already had adequate resources. Patients with low levels of optimism and neuroticism, high levels of emotional expressiveness, interpersonal sensitivity, and dispositional hypnotizability also showed greater benefits from various interventions. This review adds to the growing literature aimed at personalizing psychosocial cancer treatment by identifying who benefits from which psychosocial interventions.

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Acknowledgments

Preparation of this article was supported by the Alberta Innovates—Health Solutions Fellowship and the Psychosocial Oncology Research Training Post-doctoral Fellowship awarded to Dr. Rie Tamagawa, and a grant from the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute, the Transdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research—Primary Health Care initiative training fellowship, and the Psychosocial Oncology Research Training Doctoral Fellowship awarded to Sheila Garland. Dr. Linda E. Carlson holds the Enbridge Research Chair in Psychosocial Oncology, co-funded by the Alberta Cancer Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society Alberta/NWT Division. She is also an Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Health Scholar.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

    Rie Tamagawa & Linda E. Carlson

  2. Department of Psychosocial Resources, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Canada

    Rie Tamagawa & Linda E. Carlson

  3. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

    Sheila Garland & Linda E. Carlson

  4. Health Information Network Calgary, Holy Cross Site, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Canada

    Marcus Vaska

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  1. Rie Tamagawa
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  2. Sheila Garland
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  3. Marcus Vaska
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  4. Linda E. Carlson
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Correspondence to Rie Tamagawa.

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Tamagawa, R., Garland, S., Vaska, M. et al. Who benefits from psychosocial interventions in oncology? A systematic review of psychological moderators of treatment outcome. J Behav Med 35, 658–673 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-012-9398-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-012-9398-0

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