Higher Levels of Stress and Neuropsychological Symptoms Are Associated With a High Nausea Profile in Patients With Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy.

Objectives: To evaluate differences in the severity of global, cancer-specific, and cumulative life stress, resilience, and common neuropsychological symptoms among four subgroups of patients with distinct chemotherapy-induced nausea (CIN) profiles.

Sample & Setting: Adult patients with cancer (N = 1,343) receiving chemotherapy.

Methods & Variables: Patients completed stress, resilience, and neuropsychological symptom severity measures.

Quality of Life of Older Adults With Complicated Grief: A Mixed Methods Exploration.

The current mixed methods study investigated what changes in quality of life (QOL) mean to older adults with complicated grief treated with Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) post-hospice services. An informational matrix, which included select patient characteristics (e.g.

Iterative development and pilot testing of an intervention fidelity monitoring plan for the enhanced, electronic health record-facilitated pragmatic clinical trial: Implications for training and protocol integrity.

Fidelity monitoring is the degree to which a clinical trial intervention is implemented as intended by a research protocol. Consistent implementation of research protocols supported with extant fidelity monitoring plans contribute rigor and validity of study results. Fidelity monitoring plans should be comprehensive yet practical to accommodate the realities of conducting research, particularly a pragmatic clinical trial, in dynamic settings with heterogeneous patient populations.

Quality of life of older adults with complicated grief: A thematic analysis.

Approximately 15% of the general population has complicated grief (CG). Understanding how older adults with CG describe their quality of life (QOL) is crucial to healthcare workers especially in hospice and mental health settings. Four themes for QOL emerged from the thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews.

A Longitudinal Examination of Quality of Life of Older Adults with Complicated Grief Receiving Accelerated Resolution Therapy.

To examine the effect of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) on the quality of life (QOL) of older adults with complicated grief (CG) over time. Subanalysis of a randomized controlled trial. Older adult, former caregivers were recruited from a large hospice in the southeastern United States to be treated with ART for CG.

Challenges in Obtaining and Assessing Salivary Cortisol and α-Amylase in an Over 60 Population Undergoing Psychotherapeutic Treatment for Complicated Grief: Lessons Learned.

Biomarkers may serve as objective measures in complicated grief (CG) potentially capturing responses to stress reduction treatment. This paper reports challenges in obtaining and assessing salivary cortisol and α-amylase (sAA) for a recent randomized clinical trial. Within-session changes in salivary cortisol and sAA for 54 older adults with CG who received Accelerated Resolution Therapy were compared with perceived stress measured by Subjective Units of Distress Scale.

The Physical Consequences of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy.

Purpose Of Review: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common side effect of numerous chemotherapy drugs. CIPN negatively impacts function and quality of life during and after treatment. We will provide a review of the data describing the physical consequences of CIPN and discuss the possible long term impact on emotional well-being and quality of life.

Complicated Grief: Risk Factors, Protective Factors, and Interventions.

Complicated grief (CG) poses significant physical, psychological, and economic risks to bereaved family caregivers. An integrative review of the literature published 2009-2018 on CG associated with caregiving was performed using PubMed, PsychINFO, and Web of Science. The search returned 1428 articles, of which 32 were included in the review.

Understanding the roles of patient symptoms and subjective appraisals in well-being among breast cancer patients.

Purpose: To examine the roles of both patient symptoms, and subjective appraisals of stress (self-efficacy, symptom barriers, symptom distress), in understanding well-being (anxiety, depression, cancer-specific quality of life, mental health quality of life, and physical health quality of life) in breast cancer patients.

Methods: We examined data from 104 female breast cancer patients. Using a stress process model, we hypothesized that while high levels of patient symptoms would be associated with poorer patient well-being, these effects would be mediated by subjective appraisals, including patient self-efficacy, perceived symptom barriers, and symptom distress.

Complicated Grief of Immediate Family Caregivers: A Concept Analysis.

Grieving is a normal reaction to loss; however, not everyone is able to recover from grief and adjust to a life after the loss. "Complicated grief" (CG) is a term used to describe intense and prolonged bereavement after the loss of a loved one that interferes with normal activities accompanied by destructive thoughts and behaviors. In practice and research, the concept of CG varies in definition and instruments used to measure.

Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia: Clinical Implications for Advanced Practice Nurses in Oncology.

Opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH) is a key factor in the clinical management of patients experiencing pain. However, limited knowledge exists regarding the specific mechanisms involved in OIH and its treatment. A thorough assessment is usually required, and clinical diagnosis is mainly determined by exclusion in medical practice.

Complicated Grief: Risk Factors, Interventions, and Resources for Oncology Nurses.

Background: When a loved one dies of cancer, complicated grief (CG) may occur because of the trauma associated with family caregivers' perceptions of their loved one's suffering, either from advanced cancer or from side effects of cancer treatment.
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Objectives: This article provides an overview of CG and existing interventions for family caregivers who may be at risk for CG following the loss of a loved one and the implications for oncology nurses who provide emotional support and guidance.

Differences in fatigue severity in a sample of adult cancer patients.

Aims And Objectives: To describe differences in fatigue severity in a sample of adult Puerto Rican patients during and postcancer treatments.

Background: Hispanics, including Puerto Ricans, are an understudied population who are under-represented in clinical trials, especially in symptom research. Although symptom management is a clinical priority in oncology care, treatment-related differences in Puerto Rican cancer patients' report of fatigue severity have not been well described.

Body Image in Younger Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review.

Background: Body image is a complex issue with the potential to impact many aspects of cancer survivorship, particularly for the younger breast cancer survivor.

Objective: The purpose of this review is to synthesize the current state of the science for body image in younger women with breast cancer.

Methods: Combinations of the terms "body image," "sexuality intervention," "women," "younger women," and "breast cancer" were searched in the PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Knowledge, and Science Direct databases through January 2014.

Pain, neuropathic symptoms, and physical and mental well-being in persons with cancer.

Background: Neuropathic pain is present in at least 25-40% of people with cancer pain and is thought to be more difficult to control than other types of cancer related pain.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore differences in the experience of cancer patients who describe their pain using neuropathic descriptors compared to those who do not.

Methods: A secondary analysis of data from 234 outpatients from a large NCI designated cancer center in west, central Florida was conducted to identify differences in pain, pain interference, symptoms, health related quality of life, and depression between the two groups.

Development and psychometric evaluation of the chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy assessment tool.

Background: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) can be a debilitating and dose-limiting adverse effect of chemotherapy. Comprehensive self-report tools for CIPN are needed for research and clinical practice.

Objective: The purpose of this psychometric study was to describe the development and evaluate the reliability and validity of a new self-report tool designed to measure CIPN, the Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Assessment Tool (CIPNAT).