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Abstract Background Financial toxicity describes the impairment of financial wellbeing in patients due to the burden of cancer diagnosis and care. The COST: A Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Measure of Financial Toxicity (FACIT-COST) is the most widely used cancer-specific measure of subjective financial toxicity, having been validated in multiple languages, but not in Indonesian. This study aimed to validate the Indonesian version of FACIT-COST in a breast cancer sample. Methods A single-center prospective cohort study was performed in Indonesia. Female breast cancer patients aged ≥ 18 undergoing treatment at baseline were invited to participate and followed for up to six months. The survey included the official Indonesian version of FACIT-COST (v2) which was administered to the patients by interviewers. Clinical information (e.g., metastasis status, disease duration) was provided based on medical records. The following measurement properties of FACIT-COST were tested: distributional characteristics, structural validity (principal component [PCA] and confirmatory factor analyses [CFA]), internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega), known-groups validity (Mann-Whitney U or Kruskal-Wallis H test), test-retest reliability, and responsiveness to change. Results Overall, 300 female patients participated at baseline. No patients reported the best or worst possible FACIT-COST total scores. The PCA proposed a two-factor model structure for the instrument, which was confirmed by the CFA (RMSEA = 0.042, SRMR = 0.049, CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.99). The internal consistency reliability of the two factors was considered adequate (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.774–0.882, McDonald’s omega = 0.786–0.888). The FACIT-COST total score significantly discriminated across the following known-groups: age, education, residential setting, income, employment, metastasis status, number of symptoms, and financial coping strategies. The FACIT-COST demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.96) and satisfactory responsiveness to change (standardized response mean and effect size ranges=|0.39| to |0.92|). Conclusions This is the first study to validate the FACIT-COST in patients with breast cancer and to present the measurement properties of the Indonesian version of FACIT-COST. The Indonesian FACIT-COST demonstrates acceptable psychometric performance and shows potential as a valid measure of subjective financial toxicity. The instrument may serve as a valuable tool for informing health policies that focus on providing resource support to improve cancer care in Indonesia.

Students in fast-track postgraduate programmes face unique challenges, including intense academic pressure, role management difficulties, and high expectations for research output. This study, using the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) framework, specifically investigated good practices of supervisory strategies to improve postgraduate student well-being and academic performance in such accelerated programs. We collected data through online Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with 264 supervisors from various academic fields and then analysed the data using thematic analysis. We incorporated expert review, FGDs facilitator guidance, and rigorous data validation processes to ensure trustworthiness. The findings reveal several critical challenges students face, including academic, self-management, relationship, financial, and program-related difficulties, highlighting areas where enhanced supervisory support is crucial. Furthermore, we found that supervisors assist students by providing essential academic information, offering structured guidance, and fostering a supportive environment. These findings can guide improved supervision strategies in a postgraduate fast-track programme.

Background Higher social support protects people from developing mental disorders. Limited evidence is available on the mechanism through which social support plays this protective role.Objective To investigate the stress-buffering process of social support on depressive symptoms using a novel longitudinal dynamic symptom network approach.Methods A total of 4242 adult participants who completed the first two waves (from May to October 2020) of the International Covid Mental Health Survey were included in the study. Cross-lagged panel network modelling was used to estimate a longitudinal network of self-reported social support, loneliness and depressive symptoms. Standardised regression coefficients from regularised cross-lagged regressions were estimated as edge weights of the network.Findings The results support a unidirectional protective effect of social support on key depressive symptoms, partly mediated through loneliness: A higher number of close confidants and accessible practical help was associated with decreased anhedonia (weight=−0.033) and negative self-appraisal symptoms (weight=−0.038). Support from others was also negatively associated with loneliness, which in turn associated with decreased depressed mood (weight=0.086) and negative self-appraisal (weight=0.077). We identified a greater number of direct relationships from social support to depressive symptoms among men compared with women. Also, the edge weights from social support to depression were generally stronger in the men’s network.Conclusions Reductions in negative self-appraisal might function as a bridge between social support and other depressive symptoms, and, thus, it may have amplified the protective effect of social support. Men appear to benefit more from social support than women.Clinical implications Building community-based support networks to deliver practical support, and loneliness reduction components are critical for depression prevention interventions after stressful experiences.

Abstract Backgrounds Individuals with chronic medical conditions are considered highly exposed to COVID-19 pandemic stress, but emerging evidence is demonstrating that resilience is common even among them. We aimed at identifying sustained resilient outcomes and their predictors in chronically ill people during the first year of the pandemic. Methods This international 4-wave 1-year longitudinal online survey included items on socio-demographic characteristics, economic and living situation, lifestyle and habits, pandemic-related issues, and history of mental disorders. Adherence to and approval of imposed restrictions, trust in governments and in scientific community during the pandemic were also investigated. The following tools were administered: the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, the PTSD Checklist DSM-5, the Oslo Social Support Scale, the Padua Inventory, and the Portrait Values Questionnaire. Results One thousand fifty-two individuals reporting a chronic condition out of 8011 total participants from 13 countries were included in the study, and 965 had data available for the final model. The estimated probability of being “sustained-resilient” was 34%. Older male individuals, participants employed before and during the pandemic or with perceived social support were more likely to belong to the sustained-resilience group. Loneliness, a previous mental disorder, high hedonism, fear of COVID-19 contamination, concern for the health of loved ones, and non-approving pandemic restrictions were predictors of not-resilient outcomes in our sample. Conclusions We found similarities and differences from established predictors of resilience and identified some new ones specific to pandemics. Further investigation is warranted and could inform the design of resilience-building interventions in people with chronic diseases.

Background: Psychoeducation has emerged as an intervention for women with breast cancer (BC). This meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of psychoeducation on adherence to diagnostic procedures and medical treatment, anxiety, depression, quality of life (QoL), and BC knowledge among patients with BC symptoms or diagnosis and BC survivors. Methods: A systematic literature search (in PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and Cochrane) for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effects of psychoeducation to control among patients with BC symptoms or diagnosis and BC survivors. Effects were expressed as relative risks (RRs) and standardized mean differences (SMDs) with their 95% confidence intervals. Results: Twenty-seven RCTs (7742 participants; 3880 psychoeducation and 3862 controls) were included. Compared with controls, psychoeducation had no significant effect on adherence to diagnostic procedures and medical treatment (RR 1.553; 95% CI 0.733 to 3.290, p = .16), but it significantly decreased anxiety (SMD -0.710, 95% CI -1.395 to −0.027, p = .04) and improved QoL with (SMD 0.509; 95% CI 0.096 to 0.923, p

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic increased education-related distress among University students globally, including in Indonesia. Psychological factors, such as academic demands, limited opportunity to meet their peers, problematic use of technology, and domestic problems, influenced the well-being of the students, leading to poor academic performance. A mobile-based counseling application was developed to address the distress among University students. The application was meant to reach students living remotely to enable them to access psychological assistance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe a protocol aimed to evaluate the equivalence of the application when compared to the Treatment-As-Usual (TAU) in increasing the coping self-efficacy (CSE) and resilience of students as well as in decreasing their level of depression. A two-armed parallel randomized control non-inferiority trial will be conducted among approximately 430 students with selected academic problems. The participants will be randomly allocated into the TAU and the intervention groups. The primary and secondary outcomes will be measured by the Indonesian versions of the Coping Self-Efficacy (CSE) Scale, the Resilience Scale (RS-14), and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The data will be collected at baseline, at the end of each session, and after 3 months. The outcomes will be analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVAs, intention-to-treat, and per-protocol analysis. If proven, the application will be used as an alternative media in helping the students.Clinical Trial Registration: Thailand Clinical Trials Registry (TCTR20200530001); Date of registration: May 28, 2020.

Abstract Background Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent cancer occurring in women across the world. Its mortality rate in low-middle income countries (LMICs) is higher than in high-income countries (HICs), and in Indonesia BC is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women. Delay in breast cancer diagnosis negatively impacts cancer prognosis. Only about 30% of patients who come to the hospital to check on their breast abnormalities, continue thorough examination to biopsy to get a diagnosis based on the results of anatomical pathology. Many Indonesian women with breast cancer were already in an advanced stage when starting treatment. Therefore, delay in diagnosis is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. The present study will investigate whether our newly developed self-help psycho-educational programme, “PERANTARA”, for women with breast cancer symptoms is effective to reduce patient diagnosis delay in Indonesia. Methods A cluster-randomized controlled trial will be conducted in 106 patients in four hospitals in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. Data will be collected at baseline (pre-assessment), 7 days after the intervention (post-assessment), and at 3 months (follow-up assessments). The primary outcome is delay in diagnosis and treatment. Secondary outcomes are breast cancer knowledge, anxiety and depression, and quality of life. Exploratively, adherence with treatment will be measured too. Data will be analysed by hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) to assess differential change over time. Discussion If proven effective, PERANTARA will be evaluated and implemented in a diversity of settings for local cares (such as in POSYANDU, PUSKESMAS) that provide health education/psycho-education for women with breast symptoms. Trial registration ISRCTN12570738 . Date: November 19th, 2016.

OBJECTIVES:Breast cancer (BC) is prevalent in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) where the majority of cases are diagnosed in late stages. The aims of this study were: (1) to assess quality of life (QOL) and health status of Indonesian women with BC symptoms before definitive diagnosis; (2) to compare QOL and health status between women with BC symptoms before definitive diagnosis and Indonesian women in general; (3) to evaluate the association between demographic variables (age, residence, social economic status and education level) and QOL within the Indonesian women with BC symptoms before definitive diagnosis. METHODS:We used WHOQOL-BREF to measure QOL and EQ-5D-5L for health status. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to compare QOL and health status between women with BC symptoms and women from the general Indonesian population in order to control for confounders. Regression analyses were used for testing the association between the demographic variables, QOL, and health status. RESULTS:In comparison with the data from the women from the general population (n = 471), the women with BC symptoms (n = 132) reported lower QOL, especially in physical and psychological domains. They also reported more problems in all dimensions of health status. Higher education and monthly income were positively associated with QOL and health status among the women with BC symptoms. CONCLUSION:Before receiving a definitive diagnosis, women who visit hospitals with symptoms of BC, report a lower QOL and health status than women in general. Our results suggest that healthcare providers should provide targeted strategies for women with BC symptoms to improve their QOL.