Publications by authors named "Allison Costenaro"

Purpose: Head and neck cancer (HNC) patients experience multiple physical and psychosocial symptoms associated with their cancer treatment. The Easing and Alleviating Symptoms during Treatment (EASE) study utilized a mixed methods design to examine the feasibility of a tailored telephone-based coping and stress management intervention to improve symptom management and psychosocial care among HNC patients.

Methods: An Embedded Correlational Mixed Methods Design was utilized to answer two research questions: (1) is the EASE intervention feasible? and (2) Did EASE participants report improvements in psychosocial outcomes after completion of the EASE intervention? HNC patients were assessed at baseline and 3 months.

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Objectives: Informal caregivers of hospice patients experience multiple stressors that can negatively impact physical, psychological, and emotional health. The Caregiver Life Line (CaLL) study was a one-group, intervention-only feasibility study of a telephone cognitive-behavioral stress-management intervention consisting of 10 to 12 weekly telephone counseling calls designed specifically for informal caregivers of home-based hospice patients.

Methods: Caregivers, who were recruited via seven participating hospices, were assessed at baseline, 3, and 6 months.

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Background: Informal caregivers of hospice patients experience multiple stressors that can negatively impact physical, psychological, and emotional health. The goal of this qualitative study was to understand caregivers' needs to inform the feasibility, structure, and content of a telephone-based counseling intervention.

Methods: Focus groups and interviews with 36 former hospice caregivers and 11 hospice staff from 6 hospices were conducted.

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