Improved Psychological Well-Being
When joining the group, and on a 6-monthly basis thereafter, women are asked to consent to filling in a series of self-report questionnaires. Since 2001 these included the Affects Balance Scale and the Impact of Event Scale which measures mood and how the diagnosis of secondary breast cancer is experienced by women. In 2005 we introduced five other questionnaires, which measure quality of life, coping responses to having cancer, social support and family functioning. All of these have been used in studies of groups for women with secondary breast cancer, including an Australian RCT.
Ongoing evaluation (both qualitative and quantitative) of the combined face to face and teleconference Groups have found similar benefits to face to face groups.
Ongoing evaluation has also found that the telephone is an acceptable and convenient means of delivering the service, with the added benefit that it allows sick women, and those in rural areas to access the group.
Our evaluations have also demonstrated significant improvement in positive affects (affection, joy and contentment) and significant reduction in negative affects (depression and anxiety) and stress response (intrusion and avoidance) after 12 months in the group.
To access a handout summarising these outcomes, click here
It Would be Nice
It would be nice to have a cleavage
It would be nice to be able to bend forward without worrying
Using your hand over your chest or a shirt tight around your neck
It would probably be nice to see a hairdresser and use colour
and wear a bikini in summer
It’s sad that I will never fall in love again, through my own choice of not
hurting another after being dumped by an ex at some point you
truly love and would have done anything for but glad to be
separated as sometimes brain really should control hear
And love is not enough, especially if eventually one way
It’s nice that the universe suddenly sends the best friends in the world your way
It’s good and bad that you will never have to go through childbirth
It’s good and bad that you are (by choice) – “off the market” for a future lover
It’s good and bad to realise that the world is all about love
Express and joyfully love everyone more but know you will die without a soul mate
It’s good and bad to get a pile of money but bad to feel frustrated that your amount will not save the world
It is nice to enjoy every family get together like it was your last
It is nice to have more time to think about where you will go and read about it
It is heartbreaking to know how much your friend, family and mother will hurt
It’s nice to not give a shit about anything anymore and drive in your pj’s and beanie
Go out – no makeup, no eyebrows, thongs and house clothes because YOU are comfortable and love you
It is nice to get checked out with your wig on
It’s nice to not bother about the consequence of not wearing sunscreen for the sun
It’s nice having time alone
It’s nice having things like this spring into your brain but not when you have nowhere to write or do so much the soul spurts get lost – arrgggh and are never found or repeated again
(Composed by Nelly, aged 26, in 2010)
