Qual Life Res. 2025 Mar 31. doi: 10.1007/s11136-025-03959-2. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: When confronted with healthy functional impairments, the attribution of disease-induced distress plays a key role in the prognosis of health outcomes. This study examined the effects of an attribution-related intervention, namely WeChat-based EPIC (enter, practice, intensify, consolidate) training, on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), attribution, and life attitude in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.
METHODS: Eligible patients were recruited using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to the intervention or control group via stratified block randomization. The former received WeChat-based EPIC training plus routine nursing care for 6 months. The latter received only routine nursing care. HRQoL (primary indicator), attribution and life attitude (secondary indicators) were measured using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast version 4.0 (FACT-Bv4.0), Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ) and Life Attitude Self-rating Questionnaire for Breast Cancer (LASQ-BC), respectively. A linear mixed model was used to examine the score fluctuations at the 1-, 3-, and 6-month intervals relative to the baseline.
RESULTS: After 6 months, the intervention group (n = 84) showed statistically significant higher total scores in the FACT-Bv4.0 [mean difference: – 15.01; 95% confidence interval: – 17.96, – 12.07; p < 0.001], ASQ [- 4.16 (- 4.45, – 3.86); p < 0.001], and LASQ-BC [- 6.77 (- 8.27, – 5.27); p < 0.001] than that of the control group (n = 82). The total scores of the three indicators also showed significant group, time, and group-by-time interaction effects (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSION: The WeChat-based EPIC training was an effective intervention for improving HRQoL and psychological health in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry www.chictr.org.cn , prospectively registered on 11 April 2020, ChiCTR2000031827.
PMID:40164865 | DOI:10.1007/s11136-025-03959-2
