Azorean cancer survivors’ acceptability of psychological telephone-based interventions

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Technology-based interventions have been shown to be promising for overcoming some barriers that cancer survivors from isolated regions face in accessing health-care. There are no studies exploring the acceptability and preferences concerning these interventions in Portugal and even in the Azores. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate: i) azorean cancer survivors´ help-seeking behaviors and barriers for seeking help; and ii) survivors’ acceptability and preferences concerning development, implementation and participation in a psychological telephone-based intervention. METHOD: This study included a sample of 173 cancer survivors from the Azores archipelago (Portugal) recruited from a local oncological hospital and health unit. Data were collected through a questionnaire built for this purpose and analyzed with descriptive statistic. RESULTS: Psychological support was an accepted help-seeking behavior and the structural/practical and knowledge barriers for seeking help were the more endorsed by participants. The majority of the sample considered a psychological telephone-based intervention useful, reporting being likely participating in. The length of the sessions ranging from 30 to 45 minutes and fortnightly were the participants’ preferences. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Results may guide the development of a psychological telephone-based intervention for cancer survivors from the Azores, which can respond flexibly to their needs and facilitating the support to provide them, including their preferences when designing an intervention of that nature.