Predictors of engagement in an online psychological support program for men treated for prostate cancer — ASN Events

Predictors of engagement in an online psychological support program for men treated for prostate cancer (#415)

Katherine Chisholm 1 , Marita McCabe 1 , Addie Wootten 2 , Joanne Abbott 3 , David Austin 3 , Britt Klein 3 , Anthony Costello 2 , Declan Murphy 2
  1. Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia
  2. Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre Epworth, Melbourne, Australia
  3. National eTherapy Centre, Swinburne University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

The use of internet interventions has grown in both the mental health and general health setting, and has demonstrated recent growth in the cancer setting. These programs are thought to fill an important gap in service for cancer survivors requiring psychosocial support. Men with prostate cancer are not routinely offered psychosocial support despite strong evidence that being diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer poses significant quality of life concerns for men and their partners. Lack of psychosocial support is in part due to lack of available resources and this project aims to develop and evaluate a structured, self-directed psychological support intervention that is accessible and appealing over the internet. The program, called My Road Ahead, is targeted to men who have been treated for localised prostate cancer and covers several areas which have frequently been raised as issues of concern, including psychological distress, sexual dysfunction, urinary dysfunction, relationship issues, and uncertainty about the future. To date, this is the first online psychological intervention program targeting a broad range of needs in men treated for prostate cancer. This presentation will report on baseline data of those participants who have enrolled into a RCT investigating the efficacy of My Road Ahead. Criterion for entry into the RCT was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer within 6 months to 5 years previously. Results signify the types of men likely to engage in an online psychological treatment program across demographic variables (including rural versus urban location), cancer treatment type, level of prior psychosocial support accessed, and baseline mood scores. These results are likely to inform future designs of online intervention programs and recruitment strategies for participants.