Facilitating research participation and improving quality of life for African American prostate cancer survivors and their intimate partners - A pilot study of telephone-based coping skills training

African American men experience worse prostate cancer outcomes compared with those of Caucasian men, not only in incidence and mortality rates, but also in coping with the side effects of treatment. Unfortunately, African American men have been significantly under-represented in research evaluating the efficacy of psychosocial interventions for improving coping in prostate cancer survivors. This pilot study explored the feasibility and efficacy of coping skills training (CST), an intervention developed to enhance coping with treatment side effects in a sample of African American prostate cancer survivors and their intimate partners. The intervention was delivered in a telephone-based format designed to facilitate research participation. A total of 40 couples were randomized to either 6 sessions of CST or usual care. Survivors completed measures of disease-specific quality of life (QOL) related to urinary, sexual, bowel, and hormonal symptom domains, as well as measures of global QOL (i.e., physical functioning and mental health). Partners completed measures of caregiver strain, mood, and vigor. Analysis of data from 30 couples (12 couples in CST, 18 couples in usual care) indicated that CST produced moderate to large treatment effects for QOL related to bowel, urinary, sexual, and hormonal symptoms. Partners who underwent CST reported less caregiver strain, depression, and fatigue, and more vigor, with moderate effect sizes observed that approached conventional levels of statistical significance. These preliminary findings suggest that telephone-based CST is a feasible approach that can successfully enhance coping in African American prostate cancer survivors and their intimate partners.