The diagnosis and treatment of cancer is a major life stress that is followed by a range of well described psychological, social, physical and spiritual difficulties. Approximately 35 per cent of patients will experience persistent clinically significant distress and carers often experience even higher distress than patients. Thus, there is a clinical need to identify patients and family members experiencing high distress and once identified refer people to services that match their psychosocial care needs.

The Beating the Blues after Cancer (BBAC) project is assessing the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of accessible and affordable psychological interventions for distressed cancer patients and carers who contact community based Cancer Council Helplines. Accordingly, callers who contact the Cancer Council Helpline in Queensland and New South Wales will be screened for psychosocial distress and those callers with elevated distress will be recruited to participate in a randomised controlled trial with two study arms: minimal contact self-management vs. telephone-based psychological support.

This research will produce three important outcomes for health services planning: (1) recommendations about the efficacy of minimal contact self-management support vs. tele-based psychologist delivered cognitive behavioural intervention to facilitate better psychosocial adjustment and mental health for people with cancer and their carers; (2) an evidence-based, practical and applied approach to psychosocial care for people with cancer and their carers that can be rapidly translated into community and acute settings; and (3) information on the potential economic value of the intervention that can be used by health planners to help achieve efficient health service delivery.

Staff involved: Suzanne Chambers, Jeff Dunn, Sandy Hutchison, Juliana Buys, Megan Dwyer, Bronwyn Morris, Barbara Haddon, Brigid Hanley, Sylvia Milner, Samantha Clutton, Hilary Sargeant, Tracey Gardner, Vanessa Bruce, Val Goodwin, Rachel Costa, Helen Maxwell and Monica West.

Collaborators: Afaf Girgis (CHeRP/CCNSW), Stefano Occhipinti (Griffith University), Jane Turner (Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital), Robert Carter (Deakin University), Paula Valentine (CCNSW), Martin Stockler (Sydney Cancer Centre).

Funded by: Cancer Australia and Beyond Blue.

Contact: Bronwyn Morris

Amazon Heart is an organisation that coordinates adventure events with an aim to provide a unique and inspiring peer support opportunity for breast cancer survivors. Amazon Heart Thunder is one such event, which recently comprised a Harley-Davidson motorcycle ride from Brisbane to Sydney over ten days.

A diagnosis of cancer can produce many difficult challenges but studies have also shown that positive life changes are often reported as well as distress. Amazon Heart Thunder provides an environment of group peer support and open disclosure of the experience of breast cancer. An initial study exploring the experiences of women participating in the 2005 Australian motorcycle ride proposed that this positive peer support environment provided the catalyst for personal growth and positive life change.

This research aims to identify the mechanisms for which positive life change occurs in this context of a motorcycle ride with other breast cancer survivors. Interviews and surveys completed by the motorcycle riders will explore elements of this adventure-based activity that may contribute to personal growth, such as risk-taking behaviour, social identity and group cohesion.

An important outcome of this research will be the identification of elements that contribute to the success of Amazon Heart adventures. This will allow us to create further peer support activities for breast cancer survivors that promote personal transformation.

Staff involved: Bronwyn Morris, Suzanne Chambers, Megan Dwyer, Jeff Dunn.

Collaborators: Meredith Campbell (Amazon Heart).

Contact: Bronwyn Morris