# A Psychosocial Intervention to Improve Outcomes for Parents with Advanced Cancer

> **NIH NIH K07** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2021 · $176,839

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Cancer is a leading cause of premature death for parents of dependent children in the United States. Parents
with advanced cancer experience profound psychological suffering and many are inadequately prepared for
the decisions and consequences associated with their progressive illness and death. Yet there are no effective
interventions to reduce psychological distress for these patients. The proposed study addresses this critical
gap: we will develop and pilot test a theory-guided psychosocial intervention tailored for parents with advanced
cancer and their co-parents (together as a dyad) to reduce their psychological distress and improve end-of-life
(EOL) preparation. We will first develop the intervention—psychotherapy counseling visits structured to
promote dyadic communication about parenting concerns, using key stakeholder interviews, and then conduct
a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 60 mothers with metastatic breast cancer and their co-parents (an
adult identified by the patient to serve as the child(ren)’s primary caregiver if she were to become unavailable).
Specific research aims are: (1) to develop a unique, tailored psychosocial intervention to reduce psychological
distress in mothers with metastatic breast cancer and their co-parents; and (2) to evaluate the feasibility,
acceptability and preliminary evidence for efficacy of the intervention, in a pilot RCT. We hypothesize that
improved dyadic communication about parenting concerns and EOL preparation will reduce patients’ and co-
parents’ depression and anxiety. The primary outcome is psychological distress, measured by the Hospital
Anxiety and Depression Scale, in patients and co-parents. Secondary outcomes are dyadic communication
quality, parenting concerns, EOL preparation - defined as advance care planning for healthcare decisions and
parenting, and quality of life. Outcomes will be measured at baseline, 4-, 8-, and 12-weeks (post-intervention).
Dr. Park is a psychiatrist with advanced training in psycho-oncology whose long-term goal is to develop and
test psychosocial interventions to improve outcomes for patients and families affected by parental advanced
cancer. Her short-term career goals for this award are to: (1) obtain education and hands-on training in the
design of theory-guided, family-centered psychosocial interventions in oncology; (2) obtain education and
training to design, conduct, and evaluate RCTs of psychosocial interventions; (3) acquire education in
implementation science to become skilled in the design and testing of pragmatic and sustainable psychosocial
interventions in oncology; and (4) develop the expertise, pilot data, and publication record necessary to be an
independent investigator. The mentorship and research training resources at UNC create an ideal environment
for this career development award. Dr. Park is committed to a research career as a physician scientist and she
is uniquely qualified to conduct this study given her research...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10219984
- **Project number:** 5K07CA218167-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** ELIZA Myung PARK
- **Activity code:** K07 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $176,839
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-01 → 2023-04-01

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10219984

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10219984, A Psychosocial Intervention to Improve Outcomes for Parents with Advanced Cancer (5K07CA218167-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10219984. Licensed CC0.

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