Brief Report

Un Abrazo Para La Familia: Providing low-income Hispanics with education and skills in coping with breast cancer and caregiving

  1. Catherine A. Marshall1,*,
  2. Terry A. Badger2,
  3. Melissa A. Curran3,
  4. Susan Silverberg Koerner4,
  5. Linda K. Larkey5,
  6. Karen L. Weihs6,
  7. Lorena Verdugo7,
  8. Francisco A. R. García8

Article first published online: 2 DEC 2011

DOI: 10.1002/pon.2108

Issue

Psycho‐Oncology

Psycho-Oncology

Volume 22, Issue 2, pages 470–474, February 2013

Additional Information

How to Cite

Marshall, C. A., Badger, T. A., Curran, M. A., Koerner, S. S., Larkey, L. K., Weihs, K. L., Verdugo, L. and García, F. A. R. (2013), Un Abrazo Para La Familia: Providing low-income Hispanics with education and skills in coping with breast cancer and caregiving. Psycho-Oncology, 22: 470–474. doi: 10.1002/pon.2108

Author Information

  1. 1

    Center of Excellence in Women's Health, and Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth and Families, Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

  2. 2

    Community and Systems Health Science Division, College of Nursing, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

  3. 3

    Family Studies and Human Development, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

  4. 4

    Family Studies and Human Development, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

  5. 5

    Biobehavioral Oncology Research, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA

  6. 6

    Department of Psychiatry and University of Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

  7. 7

    Community Health Advisor, El Rio Community Health Center, Tucson, AZ, USA

  8. 8

    Public Health, Center of Excellence in Women's Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

*Correspondence to: Institute for Children, Youth and Families, Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA. E-mail: marshall@email.arizona.edu

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 3 FEB 2013
  2. Article first published online: 2 DEC 2011
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 3 NOV 2011
  4. Manuscript Revised: 2 NOV 2011
  5. Manuscript Received: 20 JUL 2011

Funded by

  • Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award for Individual Senior Fellowship. Grant Number: F33CA117704

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Keywords:

  • low income;
  • Hispanic;
  • cancer knowledge;
  • oncology;
  • co-survivors;
  • self-efficacy

Abstract

Objective

Un Abrazo Para La Familia (A Hug for the Family) is an intervention designed to increase the accessibility of cancer information to low-income and medically underserved co-survivors of cancer. Co-survivors are family members or friends of an individual diagnosed with cancer. Our goal was to increase socio-emotional support for these co-survivors and improve skills in coping with cancer. The purpose of our pilot study was to explore the effectiveness of the intervention in increasing cancer knowledge and self-efficacy among co-survivors.

Methods

Un Abrazo consisted of three one-hour sessions, in either Spanish or English. Sessions were delivered by a trained promotora (community health worker), in partnership with a counselor. Sixty participants completed measures of cancer knowledge and self-efficacy preceding (pre-test) and following the intervention (post-test).

Results

From pre-test to post-test, the percentage of questions answered correctly about cancer knowledge increased (p < 0.001), as did ratings of self-efficacy (p < 0.001). Decreases were seen in ‘Do not know’ responses for cancer knowledge (p < 0.01), with a negative correlation between number of ‘Do not knows’ on cancer knowledge at pre-test and ratings of self-efficacy at pre-test (r = −0.47, p < 0.01).

Conclusions

When provided an accessible format, co-survivors of cancer from underserved populations increase their cancer knowledge and self-efficacy. This is notable because research indicates that family members and friends with increased cancer knowledge assume more active involvement in the cancer care of their loved ones. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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