Compassion-Focused Therapy self-help cervical cancer screening
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A feasibility study of a compassion-focused self-help intervention designed to increase access to cervical cancer screening following sexual assault.
IRAS ID
263183
Contact name
Jane Smallwood
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Holloway, University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 1 days
Research summary
The proposed project is an evaluation of a new self-help intervention designed to support women who have experience of sexual assault to attend their cervical smear test. It is known that women who have been sexually assaulted typically experience significant symptoms of trauma and shame, and that they lack confidence in their ability to attend and complete a smear. They are significantly less likely to complete a test, despite being at increased risk of cervical cancer compared to women who have not experienced sexual assault. There is limited specialist support available to enable women with these experiences to access timely gynaecological care, with demand far exceeding supply.
We are therefore aiming to provide an alternative form of support that can be used independently. The intervention will be free to use and easily accessible using a mobile phone, either as an app or a website. Women will be asked to use the intervention for six weeks for the purposes of the study, but can continue to use it for as long as they wish. The content will draw on cognitive-behavioural and compassion-focused therapy ideas. We will offer the intervention to women aged 25-64 (the current eligibility age range for cervical cancer screening in the UK), with experience of sexual assault, and compare their scores on a series of online measures to those of women with experience of sexual assault who will not access the intervention. Measures will assess psychological distress (including trauma), shame, compassion and self-efficacy. We will also be asking participants whether they liked the intervention, found it easy to use and whether they practiced the activities included. If the intervention helps to reduce participants’ shame and increases their confidence in attending a smear test, it could be further evaluated and eventually be offered more widely.
REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/0884
Date of REC Opinion
10 Sep 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion