Feasibility and acceptability of a couple-based self-compassion intervention for couples living with colorectal...

Colorectal cancer is a disease that poses significant physical and mental challenges for patients and their spousal caregivers. Guided by the Neffs' self-compassion model, a couple-based self-compassion intervention program was created to help them cope with challenges. Implementing this study was to test whether this program is feasible, acceptable, and effective in Chinese couples with colorectal cancer.

A five-week, single-arm pilot study was conducted. Via face-to-face and by telephone, five intervention sessions were delivered to eligible participants. The program's feasibility was evaluated by examining the recruitment and retention rates, and its acceptability was assessed using participants' satisfaction survey results and their subjective evaluations/recommendations. Additionally, quantitative data from participants who completed the entire intervention were utilized to compute effect sizes and evaluate preliminary intervention efficacy.

Recruitment (68.4 %) and retention (80.8 %) rates demonstrated that the intervention was feasible. Participants' satisfaction and qualitative feedback results proved that the intervention was acceptable. The small-to-moderate effect sizes (Cohen's d = 0.12-0.68) were discovered in outcome variables (self-compassion, illness perception, anxiety and depression, social support, social isolation, and coping style) for patients and their spousal caregivers, indicating that the intervention was preliminarily effective.

This study verified that the couple-based self-compassion intervention is feasible, acceptable, and initially effective among Chinese colorectal cancer couples. A large-scale randomized controlled study is warranted to confirm the practical effect of this intervention.