Behavioral group-based therapy improves quality of life in men recovering from radical prostatectomy / Influencia da terapia comportamental de grupo na qualidade de vida de pacientes submetidos a prostatectomia radical

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2006

RESUMO

The current study evaluated the efficacy of a 24-week, group based, behavioral therapy in improving quality of life (QoL) among men who were treated for localized prostate carcinoma (PC) with radical prostatectomy (RP), and had treatment related dysfunctions: Urinary Incontinence (UI) and Erectile Dysfunction (ED). Thirty men were assigned to a 24-week group therapy. The intervention was designed to improve QoL by helping participants to identify and effectively manage stressful experiences and was focused on treatment-related sequelae of PC. The difference of all variables was compared between the beginning and the end of the study by means of Student?s t test for paired samples. Multiple analysis was carried out by stepwise multiple linear regression following bivariate Pearson?s correlation analysis. This was achieved with all predictors (i.e. general health perception, ED and the impact of UI) and relevant covariates (i.e. age, work/retirement status, alcohol addiction, attitude before cancer and before surgery, sexual satisfaction, and plans for the future). The mean time from surgery to attending the behavioral group intervention was 14.8 months (sd = 6.2; median = 16.5), and for 63.3% of the patients, this time was over 12 months. There was no significant correlation between that time and the predictor variables. General health perception scores decreased at the end of the study (p = 0.000), as well as urinary incontinence impact (UI) score (p=0.023), thus denoting improvement of both factors. The difference between the scores of the latter correlated negatively and significantly with both age (p = 0.04) and work/retirement (p = 0.05). Multiple stepwise regression showed that age was the most important variable (r2 = 26.0%); considering simultaneously age and work/retirement, there is an increase of 10.3% (r2 = 36.3%). Erectile dysfunction (ED) showed an increase at the end of the study (p = 0.000), and the difference between the scores of this variable correlated positively and significantly with sexual satisfaction only (p = 0.029), which means the positive influence of previous sexual satisfaction over erectile dysfunction (r2 = 15.8%). In conclusion, a 24-week behavioral group therapy was effective in improving the perceived QoL among men treated for PC. There were changes associated with the therapy, particularly the improvement in UI and ED

ASSUNTO(S)

behavioral therapy qualidade de vida terapia do comportamento prostate cancer prostata - cancer quality of life

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

Documentos Relacionados