Couple Communication Skills Training for the Supportive Care of Patients with Cancer and Their Partners

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To evaluate whether the Couple Communication Skills Training (CCST) intervention will lead to a significantly greater increase in patient and partner relationship adjustment from pre-treatment to post-treatment and 3- month follow-ups compared to the Healthy Lifestyle Information (HLI) condition.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To evaluate whether the CCST intervention will lead to significantly greater improvements in (a) patient and partner individual psychological adjustment, and (b) patient health and health care outcomes from pre-treatment to post-treatment and at 3- month follow-up, compared to the HLI condition. .

II. To evaluate whether improvements in couple communication mediate the beneficial effects on the CCST intervention on patient and partner outcomes.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVES:

I. To explore whether role (patient vs. partner), sex, or cancer diagnosis moderate the effects of the CCST intervention.

II. To conduct an implementation-related process evaluation of the CCST intervention with the goal of expediting translation of the intervention into clinical practice.

OUTLINE: Patient-partner dyads are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM 1: Couples receive CCST intervention in six, 60-minute sessions conducted by a therapist via videoconference.

ARM 2: Couples receive Healthy Lifestyle Information (HLI) intervention in six, 60-minute sessions conducted by a therapist via videoconference.

After completion of study treatment, couples are followed up with shortly after the final session and then three months after the final session.