Cancer patients' interest in group support programs

Extended periods of remission from cancer have led to an increasing number of patients coping with problems in day-to-day living. Attendance at group support programs that address these problems has been low, however, and only certain subgroups of cancer patients seem to be attracted to them. This study consisted of gathering qualitative and quantitative information from 73 cancer patients concerning factors that might influence participation in group support programs. Only 25% of the patients expressed an interest in group programs. The main reason for interest was the opportunity for mutual support and exchange of experiences. On the other hand, the most common reasons for lack of interest among the 75% who were not interested in group programs were doubts about the usefulness of patient groups and/or the impression that other kinds of support were more important. The ratio 1:3 (one person interested versus three persons not interested) was distributed across most of the analyzed sociodemographic and cancer-related variables. A logistic regression analysis showed that patients indicated significantly more interest in group programs when they had been diagnosed within the previous 14 weeks (p < 0.033). Less-educated individuals were more likely to be interested in groups (p < 0.055). Implications of the study findings are discussed with regard to the future design of support group programs.