Cancer has become almost synonymous with stress. Patients, family members, friends, and even healthcare professionals who work in the oncology field experience enormous stressors daily. Cancer survivors can feel various types of stress. Anxiety, fear, and uncertainty are commonplace, and these strong emotions can stem from anything from the diagnosis itself, treatment side effects, cost of care, or questions about long-term outcomes. Unfortunately, while stressors can harm any cancer survivor, socioeconomic factors can make psychological concerns even more impactful.
A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCI) Global Oncology took a hard look at the dire need to support cancer patients from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The study assessed the ability of a peer mentoring program called Stronger Together to address the inadequate mental health support available for cancer patients in LMICs. The study enrolled breast and gynecological cancer survivors aged 25 or older in Viet Nam. The women in the study received treatment at one of four hospitals and consented to meet with a trained peer mentor, also a cancer survivor.
Participants completed surveys at the start of the study as well as two, four, and six months following the peer mentoring intervention. The surveys detailed psychological concerns, including depression, anxiety, and stress. In addition, the researchers assessed participants' physical and mental health at each time point. The surveys also collected information on participants’ self-efficacy and social support systems.
One hundred eighty-six participants enrolled in the study. The researchers gave participants the choice to enroll in the peer mentoring program or receive standard care regimens. Ninety-one women entered the peer mentoring arm, while 95 chose to proceed with usual care. The results were promising. Compared with those receiving usual care, mentees exhibited significantly less depression, anxiety, and stress at all time points. Additionally, quality of life-related to mental health improved for those receiving peer mentoring. The patients in the usual care group experienced improvements in these parameters; however, the researchers didn’t observe positive impacts until the four- or six-month time points. Peer-mentored patients also exhibited better self-efficacy and social support compared to those receiving usual care, highlighting the potential of peer mentoring to significantly improve the mental health of cancer survivors.
The authors concluded that Stronger Together could provide a promising strategy to improve the mental health of women with breast and gynecologic cancers in Viet Nam. The researchers suggest that the findings from this study could pave the way for peer mentoring interventions in LMICs, where mental health programs remain inadequate or absent. Furthermore, the approach presented here could also be a ray of hope for other racial or ethnic minority groups prone to psychological stress, offering a potential solution to their mental health challenges.
Source: JCO Global Oncol