Cay Anderson-Hanley

Forty‐three women newly diagnosed with breast cancer participated in this study, which examined the role of expressive journal writing characteristics on mood over the course of a 12‐week support group. Writing was analyzed using the linguistic inquiry and word count program. Writing characteristics that were examined included: average word count, number of journal entries, positive and negative emotion words, the ratio of positive to negative words, and the use of cognitive mechanism words (i.e. insight and causal words). Regression analyses revealed that increased levels of anxiety and depression, post‐intervention, were predicted by the prevalence of negative emotion in writing. Unique variance in mood (anxiety and depression) was accounted for by expression of negative emotion (7 and 6%, respectively). These relationships were significant (p<0.05) and remained significant even after accounting for pre‐intervention levels of distress, and for the quantity and frequency of writing. These findings suggest the need for additional research into the naturalistic application of journaling so that appropriate recommendations for writing (e.g. focus, timing, amount) can be offered to patients who might choose to utilize this approach for coping with the stresses of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate possible neuropsychological effects of treatments for cancer in adults. A search revealed 30 studies, encompassing 29 eligible samples, and leading to inclusion of a total of 838 patients and control participants. A total of 173 effect sizes (Cohen'sd) were extracted across 7 cognitive domains and as assessed in the literature via 3 methods of comparison (post-treatment compared with normative data, controls, or baseline performance). Statistically significant negative effect sizes were found consistently across both normative and control methods of comparison for executive function, verbal memory, and motor function. The largest effects were for executive function and verbal memory normative comparisons (−.93 and −.91, respectively). When limiting the sample of studies in the analyses to only those with relatively “less severe” diagnoses and treatments, the effects remained. While these results point toward some specific cognitive effects of systemic cancer therapies in general, no clear clinical implications can yet be drawn from these results. More research is needed to clarify which treatments may produce cognitive decrements, the size of those effects, and their duration, while ruling out a wide variety of possible mediating or moderating variables. (JINS, 2003,9, 967–982.)

Objective: This study aimed to clarify which older adults benefit most from a control-enhancing intervention; in particular, whether cognitive functioning or locus of control might moderate the benefit derived.Methods: Nursing home residents were randomly assigned to two conditions: (1) a control-enhanced condition that provided the option of caring for a plant (n = 10), and (2) a comparison condition that monitored any change under the standard of care (n = 10). Comparison group participants were subsequently offered the intervention, which led to a total of 17 intervention participants.Results: Cognitive function and locus of control were found to significantly moderate the effects of the control-enhancing intervention on residents' perceived health competency, but not depression or life satisfaction.Significance of results: Interventions for nursing home residents could be tailored to fit specific needs. Screening for cognitive function and locus of control may help predict who is likely to benefit from control-enhancing interventions.