Efficacy of Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) On Depressed Spouses of Cancer Patients in an Adjuvant Care Setting

Purpose: To assess the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy for spouses of cancer patients with refractory depression according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV. Patients and Methods: All English-speaking spouses of cancer patients were eligible to participate. All spouses completed the following self-report questionnaires: Demographic variables sheet and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The research sample was consisted of 10 married spouses of cancer patients in the Adyar Cancer Institute, Chennai, in southern India. All spouses with moderate degrees of depression were selected. The cognitive behavior therapy sessions extended for 60 minutes and were held once weekly. The present study is a pre-post test design before and after intervention program. Continuous data were analyzed by using paired t tests to assess change over time. The analyses were conducted by using the SPSS version 11.0. Results: The mean of the Beck scores at the beginning and end of the study was respectively: Intervention group 24.6, SD= 3.84 versus 11.4, SD= 4.27 and control group 26.4, SD= 4.21 versus 27, SD= 3.93, the decrease in the Intervention group was significantly more than control group. Intervention group showed a significant decrease in BDI scores, t (17.96) = 4, p< .000. However, there were no significant within control group change in BDI scores, t (-o.557) = 4, p> .607. Conclusion: Depression is common and persistent in spouses of cancer patients. Psychological screening and appropriate intervention such as CBT is an essential part of palliative care. This preliminary study suggested that cognitive behavior therapy might be an effective psychological treatment for major depression among spouses of cancer patients. However, further large scale randomized controlled trials are needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn.