Grégoire I, Kalogeropoulos D, Corcos J
Urology Clinic, Sir Mortimer B. Davis-Jewish General Hospital, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Urol Nurs. 1997 Jun;17(2):58-66.
This study investigated the effectiveness of support groups in: (a) helping patients and significant others voice their concerns about the physical and psychosocial implications of their disease in an emotionally supportive context, (b) enhancing patients' understanding of their disease and its treatments and side effects, and (c) facilitating more active involvement in their treatment. A total of 54 men and some family members participated in seven separate groups. Patients were invited to participate with a letter describing the goals of the support groups or were referred by nurses and doctors.
The participants met for a series of 10 weekly sessions each of 90 minutes duration. The meetings were led by a nurse and a psychologist, who together provided information on the medical aspects of the disease and its treatment, focused on the psychologic reactions to a diagnosis of cancer, and encouraged participants to adopt more active, health-promoting coping strategies.
The participants were surveyed anonymously by questionnaire at the end of the tenth session on their views and attitudes about the support groups and their overall satisfaction. The results showed that participants in the support group felt they had a better understanding of their illness and perceived themselves as more involved in their treatment. They expressed that sharing their experiences with others gave them reassurance, helped alleviate their anxiety, and provided them with a more positive outlook.
It was concluded that these findings furnished evidence of the effectiveness of support groups in facilitating perceptions of enhanced coping in men with prostate cancer.
本研究调查了支持小组在以下方面的有效性：（a）帮助患者及其重要他人在情感支持的环境中表达他们对疾病的身体和心理社会影响的担忧；（b）增强患者对其疾病及其治疗方法和副作用的理解；（c）促进患者更积极地参与治疗。共有54名男性和一些家庭成员参加了7个独立的小组。患者通过一封描述支持小组目标的信件被邀请参加，或者由护士和医生转介。
参与者参加了一系列为期10周的会议，每次会议持续90分钟。会议由一名护士和一名心理学家主持，他们共同提供有关疾病及其治疗的医学方面的信息，关注对癌症诊断的心理反应，并鼓励参与者采用更积极、促进健康的应对策略。
在第十次会议结束时，通过问卷调查对参与者进行了匿名调查，了解他们对支持小组的看法和态度以及总体满意度。结果表明，支持小组的参与者认为他们对自己的疾病有了更好的理解，并且觉得自己更多地参与了治疗。他们表示，与他人分享经历让他们感到安心，有助于减轻焦虑，并让他们有了更积极的看法。
得出的结论是，这些发现提供了证据，证明支持小组在促进前列腺癌男性患者增强应对感方面是有效的。
