An e-health protocol to help elderly breast cancer patients to cope with chemotherapy: Preliminary results

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women. The aging population increases the number of new diagnoses and several studies showed that women of all ages experience psychological stress for possible side effects. To prepare women over 60 years diagnosed with breast cancer to face the imminent chemotherapy we developed an e-SIT (Stress Inoculation Training) protocol lasting two weeks. The online protocol includes 10 sessions to see once a day and each session integrates two parts: a live-video interview with women who have gone through breast cancer experience and a guided relaxation and meditation experience. The aim of this study is to test the efficacy of the training, in addition to traditional treatment provided by the hospital, through a controlled trial with a control group without treatment. The effectiveness is assessed through self-report validated questionnaires aimed to evaluate women’s emotion regulation strategies and their adjustment to disease. Questionnaires are administered at the beginning and at the end of the training in two face-to-face meetings with the psychologist. At the moment 20 elderly women (M=64.5 years old) have been enrolled in the study. They are mostly married and not workers. Data show that both anxious preoccupation and fighting spirit increase more in women of the experimental group than in women of the control group. Thus, preliminary results suggest the activation of anticipatory coping and encourage to design and to develop future e-health interventions aimed to support elderly breast cancer patients in coping with chemotherapy and related side effects.