Cancer patients’ participation and commitment to psychological interventions: a scoping review

Abstract

Objective

Some psychological interventions have been developed to improve cancer patients’ and survivors’ quality of life, well-being, and health engagement. However, studies are usually focused on effectiveness and less on factors influencing survivors’ decision to participate, both subjective (e.g., needs) and contingent (e.g., factors related to participation/non participation). This scoping review identifies factors influencing participation, decline to participate, attrition and adherence in psychological interventions.

Methods

3 electronic databases were searched for published studies on psychological interventions. Retrieved publications were scanned by authors against inclusion criteria and forty-two articles were selected. Relevant information were summarized narratively.

Results

More information is available on attrition and factors related to participation/non participation, so that future psychological interventions may employ ad-hoc tools to take into consideration patients’ reasons to adhere to psychological interventions. Secondarily, non-participation/dropout is often linked to factors related to intervention’ commitment and its interference with daily life. On the contrary, patients’ reasons to participate often identify with the value they find in the intervention according to their personal needs and experience of illness.

Conclusion

We suggest that future research should analyze patients’ representation of psychological interventions and take them into account to tailor the interventions on participants’ lived experience, to improve participation.

Keywords:

• Decision making
• psychological intervention
• cancer patients
• cancer survivors
• motivation
• participation

Acknowledgements

LS and VS are Ph.D. students within the European School of Molecular Medicine (SEMM). ID was supported by Fondazione Umberto Veronesi. ST and GP were supported by MIUR – Italian Ministry of University and Research (Departments of Excellence Italian Law n.232, 11th December 2016) for University of Milan ST and GP were supported by MIUR – 698 Italian Ministry of University and Research (Departments of Excellence Italian Law n.232, 699 11th December 2016) for University of Milan

Data availability

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.