Activating Happiness in Cancer: A Positive Psychology Workshop for Patients, Survivors, and Caregivers

The number of worldwide cancer survivors is projected to be 21.3 million by 2030. To treat
this growing population, group psychological interventions are increasingly utilized and
require empirical support to evaluate their effectiveness. Commonly reported psychosocial
challenges that individuals face after a cancer diagnosis include depression, anxiety, pain,
fatigue, and isolation. In contrast, some cancer survivors have reported increases in their
sense of meaning, spirituality, and perceptions of personal growth after cancer. To address
the range of responses to cancer, there is a need for strengths-based group interventions
that optimize cancer survivors' psychosocial response to cancer, regardless of their distress
level. It is critical for these approaches to account for normative periods of distress and
despair for many cancer survivors, even as part of positive adaptation, and to honor
"diversity in human response to cancer".

Cancer caregivers have reported similar clusters of symptoms as cancer survivors that often
go untreated, in part due to the demands of caregiving responsibilities. Thus, cancer holds
the potential to affect not only the patient, but also those closest in their social support
network. Positive psychological interventions have demonstrated significant effects for
increasing cancer survivors' self-esteem, optimism, self-efficacy, meaning making, and
lowering levels of depression, anxiety, and fatigue. Yet no studies have examined the impact
of positive psychological interventions on healthcare utilization, pain, loneliness,
vitality, and self-compassion for cancer survivors, caregivers, and on the interactions
between the well-being of cancer survivors and caregivers.

To address the need to assess positive group psychological interventions for cancer survivors
and caregivers that incorporates diverse conceptualizations of adaption and examines both
mental and physical health outcomes, this project is a study on a 4-week psychoeducation
group intervention entitled "Activating happiness in cancer: A positive psychology workshop
for patients, survivors, and caregivers." The project will evaluate the following hypotheses:
(1) Participation in a positive psychology workshop will predict higher levels of well-being,
mindfulness, gratitude, and vitality for cancer survivors and caregivers at the end of the
group, and these changes will be maintained 3 months after the group has ended; and (2)
Participation in a positive psychology workshop will predict lower levels of depression,
anxiety, pain, fatigue, loneliness, and healthcare utilization for cancer survivors and
caregivers at the end of the group, and these changes will be maintained 3 months after the
group has ended. Additionally, the project poses the following question: (1) What elements of
positive psychological workshop do cancer survivors and caregivers perceive as most
meaningful? This intervention involves assigning participants to the group to evaluate its
effectiveness on psychological and healthcare utilization outcomes. The group is not part of
routine medical care.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Above the age of 18

- either has received a cancer diagnosis OR

- is the caregiver of someone with a cancer diagnosis

Exclusion Criteria:

- Under the age 18

- Does not speak English

- Has not received a cancer diagnosis nor is the caregiver of someone with a cancer
diagnosis