Distress in Head and Neck Cancer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the role metacognitive beliefs, self-compassion with emotional distress in adults with Head and Neck Cancer.
IRAS ID
306454
Contact name
Emily Pearson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Liverpool
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 0 days
Research summary
This study will investigate the psychological factors that are involved in the exacerbation of emotional distress in those with Head and Neck Cancer. The psychological factors that are being explored are metacognitive beliefs and self-compassion. The study will collect information using a survey. The survey being used includes items from the Metacognitions questionnaire (MCQ-30), the Cognitive Attentional Syndrome Scale-Revised (CAS-1R), The self-compassion scale (SCS), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R). Participants will include adults over the age of 18 years old who have a diagnosis of Head and Neck Cancer (any type) and who would like to complete the survey either on paper or on an online platform called Qualtrics. The study will last approximately eleven months.
A better understanding of symptoms of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) is needed to help inform and improve psychological interventions for those who experience emotional distress after treatments for Head and Neck Cancer.Lay summary of study results:
Due to advancements in medical treatments, cancer survivorship is increasing. Head and neck cancer (HNC) treatments frequently have detrimental effects on mental health and quality of life. More research is needed to explore the distinct difficulties for HNC survivors and how best to support them.
Methods
One hundred and thirty-one HNC survivors were recruited from social media, and two NHS hospitals in the northwest of England. They completed self-reported questionnaires measuring anxiety, depression, cancer-related post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), self-compassion, and metacognitive beliefs Hierarchal regression modelling tested if metacognitive beliefs and self-compassion were associated with anxiety, depression, and PTSS.Results
Negative metacognitive beliefs about danger and uncontrollability of worry and lack of cognitive confidence made a significant contribution to all forms of distress controlling for clinical and demographic variables and self-compassion. Self-compassion was not associated with anxiety, depression or PTSS after controlling for clinical and demographic factors.
Limitations
The final sample included an equal split of men and women. Therefore, this could be biased as men are more likely to be diagnosed with head and neck cancers. This study adopted a cross sectional design and therefore it cannot determine causality. Research employing prospective designs is necessary to investigate whether metacognitive beliefs measured at baseline predict PTSS, anxiety, and depression over time.
Conclusions
This study found that negative metacognitive beliefs about the uncontrollability of worry and cognitive confidence were associated with anxiety, depression, and PTSS symptoms when controlling for demographic and clinical variables. Self-compassion did not make a significant contribution for anxiety, depression or PTSS. Therefore, interventions addressing metacognitive beliefs and processes might be more effective compared with self-compassion-based approaches. Research employing prospective designs is necessary to investigate this further. This might help inform new psychological interventions for HNC survivors.REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0185
Date of REC Opinion
19 May 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion