EMPOWER: A Multi-Site Pilot Trial to Reduce Distress in Surrogate Decision-Makers in the ICU.

Context: Efforts to reduce the psychological distress of surrogate decision-makers of critically ill patients have had limited success, and some have even exacerbated distress.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of EMPOWER (Enhancing and Mobilizing the POtential for Wellness and Resilience), an ultra-brief (∼2-hour), 6-module manualized psychological intervention for surrogates.

Methods: Surrogates who reported significant anxiety and/or an emotionally close relationship with the patient (n=60) were randomized to receive EMPOWER or enhanced usual care (EUC) at one of three metropolitan hospitals.

Investigating the Relationship Between Marital Status and Ethnicity on Neurocognitive Functioning in a Rural Older Population: A Project FRONTIER Study.

Objectives: Research indicates being married is related to better physical and psychological health. Little is known regarding the relationship between marital status and neurocognitive functioning and whether it differs based on ethnicity (Hispanic vs non-Hispanic). This is the first study to examine this relationship in a sample of aging adults in rural Texas.

An examination and proposed definitions of family members' grief prior to the death of individuals with a life-limiting illness: A systematic review.

Background: Research has extensively examined family members' grief prior to the death of an individual with a life-limiting illness but several inconsistencies in its conceptualization of related constructs, yet significant conceptualization issues exist.

Aim: This study aimed to identify and characterize studies published on family members grief before the death of an individual with a life-limiting illness, and propose definitions based on past studies in order to initiate conceptual clarity.

Design: A mixed-method systematic review utilized six databases and was last conducted July 10, 2021.

Interpretation Bias in Breast Cancer Survivors Experiencing Fear of Cancer Recurrence.

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is a prevalent and persistent challenge that many cancer survivors endure. While the role of interpretation bias, a tendency to perceive ambiguous situations as threatening, has been established in the onset and maintenance of FCR, few studies have examined cancer-related interpretation bias specifically. Grounded in the cognitive formulation of FCR, the current study aimed to fill this gap by investigating the relationship between cancer-related interpretation bias, FCR, and somatic symptoms, and examining whether bias mediates the relationship between somatic symptoms and FCR.