Social Constraints During Cancer Pre-Treatment
Research type
Research Study
Full title
What is the Role of Social Constraints in Psychological Wellbeing and Dyadic Interactions During the Pre-Treatment Stage of Cancer Care?
IRAS ID
350010
Contact name
Heather Cogger-Ward
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
000, NA
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
This research project aims to explore the role of social constraints in preparing people for cancer treatment. This will be achieved by examining the effect of social constraints during interactions between cancer patients and their caregivers on psychological wellbeing and self-efficacy during the pre-treatment phase of cancer care.
Prehabilitation is an intervention that takes place after an individual has been diagnosed with cancer to prepare them for treatment and to help get a faster recovery. Prehabilitation takes place during the pre-treatment stage of cancer treatment. This intervention can include exercise, nutritional, and psychological support.
By exploring the relationship between social constraints and psychological wellbeing in the context of the pre-treatment stage of cancer care, this research seeks to inform clinical practices in prehabilitation and improve support systems for patients and their caregivers during a critical phase of the treatment journey.
This study will utilise a mixed-methods approach and will be divided into two parts. The quantitative part (Part 1) will involve participants completing two surveys - one before and one after treatment starts - gathering demographic information and psychometric measures of psychological wellbeing, self-efficacy, and social support. Each survey in Part 1 is expected to take 10 - 15 minutes to complete. The qualitative part (Part 2) will involve selected participants completing a semi-structured interview after treatment starts. The interviews are expected to last up to an hour.
This research will take place at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust cancer service, with additional recruitment from the online platform, Prolific, to reach a broader audience, if necessary to recruit an adequate numbers of participants.
Eighty-four participants will be recruited for Part 1 (preferably 42 pairs of cancer patients and caregivers) and 20 pairs of cancer patients and caregivers will be recruited for Part 2.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/EE/0107
Date of REC Opinion
7 Jul 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion