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Background: This study evaluated participant satisfaction with "Couplelinks," an online psychological intervention designed for younger couples coping with breast cancer. The program included six experiential learning exercises (plus one optional module), psychoeducational information, and support from a personal mental health professional., Objective: The primary objectives were to examine participants' perceptions of: the online intervention's structure and content; the value of including a professional facilitator; and benefits and drawbacks of the program., Methods: A treatment satisfaction questionnaire comprised of Likert indices and open-ended questions pertaining to treatment satisfaction was completed by 26 patients and 27 male partners ( N = 53) approximately 1-2 weeks following the intervention which occurred in the context of a randomized controlled trial. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize satisfaction ratings and generalized linear models with fixed effect for gender were used to test for differences in male-female outcomes. A thematic analysis was undertaken in order to understand, organize and summarize the qualitative textual feedback., Results: Participants reported an overall satisfaction rating of 4.3 out of 5 ( SD = 0.54) with patient satisfaction ratings being higher than that of male partners' ( p = 0.01). The majority of participants considered the facilitator's role to be necessary 4.6 ( SD = 0.60), and found the program to be convenient 4.1 ( SD = 0.81) despite some participants struggling to keep up with the modules. Subjective data revealed participants valued the convenience and flexibility of the online intervention and appreciated the program's involvement of both partners. Participants also reported that including a professional facilitator humanized the intervention, served as motivation to progress through the program, facilitated insight into their relationship, and was reassuring. Experiential gains noted by participants included that the program: helped couples to open channels of communication; prompted them to designate quality time for one another; evoked feelings of unity and togetherness; and inspired new insight in the relationship., Conclusion: Such feedback supports the feasibility and acceptability of the Couplelinks program while offering directions for improvement of online couple-based interventions in cancer., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Fergus, Tanen, Ahmad, Gardner, Warner, McLeod, Stephen, Carter and Periera.)

Objectives: This pilot study sought to develop and evaluate a novel online group-based intervention (Healthy Lifestyle Modification after Breast Cancer; HLM-ABC) to help breast cancer survivors (BCSs) make healthy lifestyle changes intended to yield not only beneficial physical outcomes (i.e., weight loss, reduced body mass index) but also greater behavioral (e.g., increased physical activity, healthier eating), and psychosocial well-being (e.g., self-efficacy, motivation, body image)., Methods: An exploratory single-arm, mixed-method triangulation design was employed to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of the HLM-ABC intervention for overweight BCSs. Fourteen women participated in the 10-week intervention and completed quantitative measures of the above-mentioned outcomes at baseline, post-treatment, 6-month, and 12-month follow-up time points. Qualitative data were obtained post-treatment via semi-structured interviews and a treatment satisfaction questionnaire., Results: Participants lost an average of 2.83% of their baseline weight ( M = 196.65; SD = 38.59) by 1-year follow-up ( M = 191.29; SD = 33.91), equal to a small effect size ( d = -0.37). Despite achieving only modest weight loss, participants achieved meaningful gains in the form of increased physical activity ( d = 0.2), discovery of gratifying movement, more intuitive eating habits ( d = 1.12), greater bodily and emotional awareness, and positive shifts in beliefs about being able to make healthy choices regarding food ( d = 0.63) and physical activity ( d = 0.38). Furthermore, they demonstrated a slight improvement in body image ( d = 0.36) and described feeling more self-compassionate, empowered, and acknowledging of variables beyond control (i.e., hormonal therapy, unsatisfactory surgery) that can present barriers to change., Conclusion: After completing a 10-week online program, participants achieved meaningful and lasting changes on a number of healthful indicators, even when this did not correspond with a significant reduction in weight. Findings highlight the complex, multifaceted nature of "health" and lend support for promotion of healthier lifestyle following cancer treatment that encompasses not only physical weight, but also behavior, psychosocial well-being, and (often unmodifiable) circumstances such as life-preserving hormonal treatments., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The handling editor MF declared a shared affiliation with the author KF at the time of review., (Copyright © 2022 Male, Fergus and Yufe.)