A digital mental health intervention may improve anxiety in breast cancer survivors

1. Among a large cohort of breast cancer survivors, those who participated in digital mental health treatment reported a reduction in symptoms of anxiety, with additional human coaching associated with a reduction in depression.  

Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent)

Almost 50% of all women suffering from advanced breast cancer experience significant anxiety and depression within the first year from their diagnosis. These symptoms are associated with poor quality of life, increased economic burden, and higher mortality. In this randomized controlled trial, 313 women with breast cancer were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive digital mental health treatment (DHMT) program or a standard patient education program to study the effect of a hands-free, accessible, virtual therapeutic service. The digital mental health treatment program consisted of an 8-week virtual, human-coaching psychoeducation application. Breast cancer patients reported significantly less anxiety symptoms than those in the patient education group (p=0.01), but did not report statistically significantly reduced depression symptoms (p=0.06). The study opted to further analyze the difference between those who reported optimal engagement in the DHMT program vs those who reported a less regimented use of the program. At baseline, those who reported optimal engagement (n=134) outnumbered those who did not (n=72), and those with suboptimal engagement who sought out additional coaching during their DHMT program reported significantly reduced depression symptoms compared to those who did not seek additional coaching (p<0.001). Overall, the study findings suggest that an interactive digital health program provides a more accessible approach for breast cancer survivors to seek support for anxiety symptoms, while the addition of human coaching to the digital intervention may further improve symptoms of depression.

Click here to read this study in JAMA Network Open

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