Pain Coping Skills for Colorectal Cancer Survivors

Colorectal cancer survivors experience long-term negative physical and psychosocial consequences of their disease. There is a critical need to develop novel behavioral interventions for improving colorectal cancer survivor outcomes. The investigators have developed a pain management intervention for colorectal cancer survivors that focuses on addressing both pain and psychological distress. Colorectal cancer survivors who endorse pain and comorbid psychological distress as a concern during a clinic-based survivorship care consult will be recruited. Participants will be randomized into either: Telephone-Based Coping Skills Training (CST) for pain and comorbid psychological distress or standard care. The CST condition will receive 5 sessions of a cognitive behavior theory-based protocol that teaches coping skills (e.g., relaxation, activity pacing/planning, cognitive restructuring) relevant to managing pain and psychological distress. The standard care control condition will receive resources and referrals related to managing survivorship health.

colorectal cancer survivor, cancer pain, psychological distress, coping skills training, symptom management, cancer survivorship

The CST condition will receive 5 sessions of a cognitive behavior theory-based protocol that teaches coping skills (e.g., relaxation, activity pacing/planning, cognitive restructuring) relevant to managing pain as well as psychological distress.

The standard care control condition will receive resources and referrals related to survivorship health. This information will be provided to the participant during their initial survivorship care consult.

pre-treatment (baseline), post-treatment (approximately 8 weeks), 3-months post-treatment (approximately 20 weeks)

pre-treatment (baseline), post-treatment (approximately 8 weeks), 3-months post-treatment (approximately 20 weeks)

pre-treatment (baseline), post-treatment (approximately 8 weeks), 3-months post-treatment (approximately 20 weeks)

Change in Self-Efficacy for Pain Control assessed using the subscale of the Chronic Pain Self-Efficacy Scale

pre-treatment (baseline), post-treatment (approximately 8 weeks), 3-months post-treatment (approximately 20 weeks)

Inclusion Criteria: >21 years old personal history of colorectal cancer finished active cancer treatment within the past 12 months reported pain as a concern as well as psychological distress on a National Comprehensive Cancer Network screener able to speak and read English able and willing to give informed consent Exclusion Criteria: currently undergoing active cancer treatment have a major mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia) have a mental illness that is not being treated/controlled (e.g., bipolar disorder)