Adapting and Testing a Novel Self-Compassion Intervention to Reduce Lung Cancer Stigma

Summary

The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to test a disease-tailored, mindfulness-based intervention (Mindful Self-Compassion for Lung Cancer; MSC-LC) in adults diagnosed with lung cancer who are experiencing stigma. The current project seeks to:

* Evaluate preliminary evidence for the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of MSC-LC in reducing stigma for adults with lung cancer, compared to a waitlist control condition
* Elicit interventional impact not captured through quantitative measures with qualitative data from purposively sampled high responders and non-responders from the intervention condition

Participants will randomized to either the MSC-LC intervention (a 10-week, virtually-delivered, group-based psychosocial intervention focused on the development of mindfulness and self-compassion skills) or to a waitlist control group that receives a referral to an NCI list of helpful mental health resources in their community. Researchers will compare the intervention and control groups to see if the MSC-LC intervention reduces lung cancer stigma and increases self-compassion.

Conditions

• Lung Cancer

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Mindful Self-Compassion for Lung Cancer (MSC-LC)

The overall goal of this 10-week, group-based, virtually-delivered, psychosocial intervention is to enhance recognition and responsiveness to difficult thoughts and emotions and to build self-compassion skills that facilitate patients' ability to turn inward to those thoughts and feelings with mindfulness, connectedness, and self-kindness. Each weekly session is designed to be 90 minutes and follows an agenda with highly structured scripts covering self-compassion topics (e.g., pain of disconnection, listening with compassion), which are carefully organized to build upon one another. In each session, didactic topics (e.g., "What is self-compassion?") taught by trained interventionists lead into guided experiential learning practices (e.g., guided meditation), which are then followed by inquiry into the participants' direct experiences of the practices. The treatment manual is adapted based on the Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher Guide (from the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion).

OTHER

Enhanced standard of care with waitlist

Participants in the enhanced standard of care control condition will be provided with an information sheet from the NCI about how to find helpful organizations and resources in their community. Self-report will be used to describe any supportive care services pursued by the participant. Additionally, control participants will be added to a waiting list for receiving the MSC-LC intervention program. After completing all questionnaire assessments (16 weeks following study entry), the study team will offer the MSC-LC intervention program to participants on the waiting list.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Cancer Institute (NCI)

  collaborator NIH

• Loyola Marymount University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Timothy J Williamson, Ph.D., MPH · Loyola Marymount University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

100 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-05-06

Primary Completion

2026-01-22

Completion

2026-01-22

Countries

• United States

Study Locations