Factors associated with attrition from a randomized controlled trial of meaning-centered group psychotherapy for patients with advanced cancer.

Objective: The generalizability of palliative care intervention research is often limited by high rates of study attrition. This study examined factors associated with attrition from a randomized controlled trial comparing meaning-centered group psychotherapy (MCGP), an intervention designed to help advanced cancer patients sustain or enhance their sense of meaning to the supportive group psychotherapy (SGP), a standardized support group.

Methods: Patients with advanced solid tumor cancers (n = 153) were randomized to eight sessions of either the MCGP or SGP.