Feasibility, engagement, and acceptability of a behavioral pain management intervention for colorectal cancer survivors with pain and psychological distress: data from a pilot randomized controlled trial

Purpose Colorectal cancer survivors report pain and psychological distress to be burdensome long-term cancer consequences. Quality cancer survivorship care includes interventions for managing these symptoms. Yet, no studies have tested the efficacy of an accessible behavioral intervention for colorectal cancer survivors with pain and comorbid psychological distress. This paper reports on the feasibility (i.e., accrual, attrition, and adherence to study procedures), engagement, acceptability, and descriptive outcomes of a telephone-based coping skills training (CST) intervention. Methods This randomized pilot trial assigned colorectal cancer patients ( N =31) to 5 sessions of CST or standard care. CST sessions focused on cognitive-behavioral theory-based coping skills tailored to colorectal cancer symptoms of pain and psychological distress. Participants completed assessments of pain severity, self-efficacy for pain management, health-related quality of life, and psychological distress at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. Results Data indicated strong feasibility, evidenced by high completion rates for intervention sessions and assessments (93% completed all sessions; M =48.7 days; baseline=100%; post-treatment=97%; 3-month follow-up=94%). Participants demonstrated robust engagement with CST ( M days per week with reported skills use=3.8) and reported high protocol satisfaction ( M =3.6/4.0). Descriptive statistics showed self-efficacy for pain management and health-related quality of life improved for all participants. Conclusion Findings suggest that a telephone-based CST intervention has strong feasibility, evidenced by accrual, low attrition, and adherence to intervention sessions and assessments. Likewise, participant engagement and acceptability with CST were high. These data provide a foundation for larger randomized efficacy trials of the telephone-based CST intervention.