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"Live Fully With Cancer": Assessing the Impact of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Compassion-Based Virtual Group Intervention for Diverse Cancer Patients

NCT ID: NCT06246955Sponsor: Mayo ClinicLast updated: 2026-05-29

Summary

This clinical trial tests how well acceptance and commitment therapy and compassion based virtual group therapy works to improve psychological wellbeing, such as compassion, understanding, and flexibility, in patients with cancer. Receiving a cancer diagnosis, undergoing cancer treatment, and living with cancer- or treatment-related symptoms have often been found to be associated with elevated distress and decreased quality of life for individuals, even when the disease is stable or in remission. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has demonstrated considerable benefits on individuals' quality of life, psychological flexibility, and amelioration of psychological distress following a cancer diagnosis and in the face of uncertainty, loss, and challenges associated with cancer.

Detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To assess if participants perceive compassion and understanding by the provider who facilitates the virtual group intervention. II. To assess if participation in the ACT-based group intervention is associated with increases in patients' self-reported psychological flexibility as well as amelioration in psychological and physical distress. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: I. To assess if participation in the ACT-based group intervention is associated with increases in patients' self-reported mindfulness, self-compassion, meaning and purpose, and posttraumatic growth. OUTLINE: Patients attend acceptance and commitment virtual group therapy sessions over 1.5 hours each, once a week for 6 weeks. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 1 month.

Arms & interventions

  • BehavioralBehavioral Intervention: Group Therapy Session

    Attend virtual group therapy sessions

  • OtherSurvey Administration

    Ancillary study

Outcome measures

Primary

  • Participant perceived compassion and understanding by the group therapy provider - SCQ

    Will be assessed based on average scores using the 5-item Sinclair Compassion Questionnaire (SCQ), answered using a 5-point scale (strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, strongly agree)

    Time frame: From baseline to 1 month post session 6

  • Patients' self-reported psychological flexibility - COMPACT-15

    Will be assessed using the 15-item Comprehensive Assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Processes (COMPACT-15). Questions are answered on a scale of 0-6 (strongly disagree, moderately disagree, slightly disagree, neither agree nor disagree, slightly agree, moderately agree, strongly agree).

    Time frame: From baseline to 1 month post session 6

  • Patients' self-reported psychological flexibility - Psy-Flex

    Will be assessed using the 6-item Psy-Flex scale. Questions are answered on a 5-point scale (very often, often, from time to time, seldom, very seldom) based on experiences over the past 7 days.

    Time frame: From baseline to 1 month post session 6

  • Physician and psychological distress - PROMIS-29

    Will be assessed using the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-29 v2.0 Profile, which assesses pain intensity using a 0-10 numeric rating scale across seven health domains (physical function, fatigue, pain interference, depressive symptoms, anxiety, ability to participate in social roles and activities, and sleep disturbance), with four items per domain.

    Time frame: From baseline to 1 month post session 6

Secondary

  • Self reported mindfulness

    Time frame: Baseline; 1 month post session 6 (not assessed at mid-group to reduce patient survey burden)

  • Self-compassion

    Time frame: Baseline; 1 month post session 6 (not assessed at mid-group to reduce patient survey burden)

  • Meaning and purpose

    Time frame: Baseline; 1 month post session 6 (not assessed at mid-group to reduce patient survey burden)

  • Posttraumatic growth

    Time frame: Baseline; 1 month post session 6 (not assessed at mid-group to reduce patient survey burden)

Eligibility criteria

Sex: AllAge: 18 Years and olderHealthy volunteers: No
Inclusion Criteria: * Being an adult (18 years or older) * Being a patient of Mayo Clinic Arizona * Having a cancer diagnosis, having treatment planning in progress, undergoing cancer-related treatment, or having completed cancer within the past 2 years (in recent survivorship * Experiencing stress or challenges related to cancer and having treatment goals that align with the purpose of the group * Having self reported proficiency to read/write/speak English * Expressing interest and commitment to attend all six virtual group sessions Exclusion Criteria: * Patients' inability to take part in and benefit from the virtual group therapy based on clinical judgment of the psychosocial oncology team member who completes the psychosocial evaluation, which may include having active suicidal or homicidal intent, experiencing uncontrolled psychotic symptoms, having untreated personality disorder/characteristics that are likely disturbing in a group setting, and/or having moderate to severe cognitive impairments

Study locations (1)

Mayo Clinic in Arizona

Scottsdale, Arizona, 85259

Recruiting
Clinical Trials Referral Office · Contact
Chun Tao, PhD, LP · Principal Investigator
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Compassion-Based Virtual Group Therapy to Improve Psychological Wellbeing in Patients With Cancer | Cancerify