Véronique Christophe

Exposure to the social sharing of emotion: Emotional impact, listener responses and secondary social sharing

In line with evidence showing that emotion involves a social sharing process in which the subject communicates about emotional experience, this article examines the impact of being exposed to such communications. First, it was predicted that being exposed to the social sharing of an emotion is emotion-inducing. Second, it was reasoned that if this holds true, then the listener should later engage in socially sharing with other persons the emotional narrative heard. Thus, a process of ‘secondary social sharing’ was predicted. In two independent studies subjects recalled a situation in which someone had shared an emotional experience with them. They then rated emotions felt while exposed to the narrative, responses adopted toward the sharing person, and extent of secondary social sharing. The predictions were supported. Exposure to a social sharing situation was confirmed as itself emotion-inducing. Secondary social sharing was recorded in 66 per cent of the cases in Study 1 and in 78 per cent in Study 2. Both studies also showed that exposure to the sharing of highly intense emotional episodes elicited more repetitive secondary social sharing and a superior number of target persons than exposure to episodes of low or of moderate emotional intensity.

Phase II/III multicentre randomised controlled trial evaluating a strategy of primary surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy versus peri-operative chemotherapy for resectable gastric signet ring cell adenocarcinomas – PRODIGE 19 – FFCD1103 – ADCI002

BackgroundA dramatic increase in the incidence of the diffuse form of gastric adenocarcinomas and particularly signet ring cell carcinomas has been observed in Western countries. Evidence is accruing that signet ring cell carcinomas may have inherent chemo resistance leaving many clinicians unsure of the benefits of delaying surgery to pursue a neoadjuvant approach.Methods/designPRODIGE-19-FFCD1103-ADCI002 is a prospective multicentre controlled randomised phase II/III trial comparing current standard of care of perioperative chemotherapy (2x3 cycles of Epirubicin, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil) with a strategy of primary surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (6 cycles of Epirubicin, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil) in patients with a stage IB-III gastric signet ring cell tumour. The principal objective of the phase II study (84 patients) is to determine if the experimental arm (primary surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy) has sufficient interest in terms of percentage of living patients at 24 months to be evaluated in a phase III trial. If 7 or less patients in the experimental arm are alive at 24 months, phase III will not be initiated. The primary objective of phase III (230 additional patients) is to demonstrate superiority of the experimental arm in terms of overall survival. Secondary endpoints include overall survival at 36 months, disease free survival at 24 and 36 months, R0 resection rates, treatment tolerance, postoperative mortality and morbidity evaluated by Clavien-Dindo severity index, the prognostic impact of positive peritoneal cytology and the assessment of quality of life. An ancillary study will assess the emotional and cognitive impact of surgery and perioperative chemotherapy for both the patient and their partner.DiscussionAs inherent chemo resistance of signet ring cell tumours and delay in definitive surgery may favour tumour progression we hypothesise that a policy of primary surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy will improve overall survival compared to a standard perioperative chemotherapeutic strategy. This randomised phase II/III trial is the first dedicated to this histological subtype. Whilst the development of new biomarkers and targeted therapies are awaited, the results of this trial should further help in devising individualised protocols of patient care in a tumour group whose diversity increasingly demands assessment of alternative strategies.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01717924

Motives for the social sharing of an emotional experience

Previous studies demonstrated that people socially share both their positive and negative emotional experiences. This article reports two studies aimed to clarify and assess the motives underlying this human propensity to share emotions. A large number of motives were collected from 182 participants (Study 1). A content analysis resulted in 8 categories of motives; 72 representative items were retained to create a Social Sharing Motives Scale (SSMS). The final structure of the SSMS, tested with 719 respondents, includes 39 items organized into 7 factors, namely “clarification and meaning,” “rehearsing,” “venting,” “arousing empathy/attention,” “informing and/or warning,” “assistance/support and comfort/consolation,” and “advice and solutions” (Study 2). This scale will usefully contribute to the investigation of the role played by interpersonal processes in emotional regulation.

The Ways of Coping Checklist (WCC): Validation in French-speaking cancer patients.

We explore the psychometric properties of the French version of the Ways of Coping Checklist Revised (WCC-R) for a cancer patient sample. The WCC-R was completed by 622 patients and 464 completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the original factor structure did not fit the data. The sample was randomly divided into two subsamples. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on one subsample and revealed three factors: ‘Seeking social support’, ‘Problem focused-coping’ and ‘Self-blame and avoidance’, including 21 items. A CFA confirmed this structure in the second subgroup. These scales correlated with the anxiety scores.

Young couples' experiences of breast cancer during hormone therapy: an interpretative phenomenological dyadic analysis.

Background: Young women are confronted with the same consequences of cancer as older women are. In addition, they face problems specifically related to their age, such as their children’s education and their family responsibilities, marital relationships, and career issues. Objective: The objective was to identify the functioning profiles of young couples confronted with hormone therapy. Methods: This study was both qualitative and dyadic. Interviews with 11 couples revealed 5 themes. Results: Initially, the partners reported increased intimacy and mutual support; however, during hormone therapy, a divergence developed between the patients and their partners. The partners wished for the couple to resume a normal life. The patients’ loved ones, also helpful in the beginning, were tempted to promote this resumption of normalcy, with the risk that the patients’ suffering would no longer be acknowledged. The risk of cancer recurrence appeared to immobilize the patients, who were unable to adopt a long-term perspective. Finally, the experience of the disease led the participants to reorganize their priorities and promoted self-centering. Conclusions: Breast cancer affects both the patient and her loved ones. Future research should focus on qualitative extensions to other stages of cancer treatment and quantitative studies to measure the phenomena revealed in the current work. Implications for Practice: Cancer and its treatment have impacts on the patient and her marriage; therefore, the focus for the clinical care should be on the couple rather than just the patient. Additionally, our findings suggest new areas of psychological dyadic counseling for cancer patients and their partners.

Qualité de vie des femmes jeunes ayant un cancer du sein localisé et de leur partenaire : nécessité de développement de questionnaires spécifiques pour la patiente et le partenaire

Purpose. To determine the feelings of young women with early breast cancer concomitantly with their partners at different treatment periods in order to create a specific quality of life (QOL) scale for this population. Materiel and methods. It was a prospective, multicentre, qualitative study, in patients younger than 45 years old at diagnosis and living with a partner for at least six months. Patients and partners were interviewed by a psychologist, from the diagnosis disclosure until follow up, using non-directing individual talks. Results. Sixty-nine couples were interviewed. Analyses of the interviews have highlighted the impact of disease on eight dimensions: psychological, physical, family, social, couple, sexuality, domestic, professional and economic dimensions. These impacts are mostly negative and are present in all periods and even after treatment for follow up. Discussion. A multidimensional profile of this specific population was established. A QOL scale dedicated to this population is being validated.

Factual understanding of randomized clinical trials: a multicenter case-control study in cancer patients

SummaryObjective Several reports have shown that despite the informed consent process, enrolled patients misunderstand the modalities and goals of randomized clinical trials (RCTs). We believe that this may be linked to a priori misconceptions in the main population. The purpose of this study is to compare the knowledge about cancer RCTs in enrolled participants (cases) versus patients treated under cancer standard care who have never taken part in RCTs (controls). Methods We submitted a validated questionnaire (ICEC-R) to both populations to explore their knowledge about RCTs. A total of 75 cases and 107 controls were included. Results Globally, the cases’ knowledge was significantly better, especially about (i) the randomization process, (ii) the uncertain potential benefits, and (iii) the right to withdraw consent. Both populations presented the lowest scores for items exploring the randomization process and uncertain treatment benefits. Conclusion Enrolled patients’ comprehension of the goals and means of RCTs is actually better than controls’. Nevertheless, additional efforts should be made to enhance information about clinical research to patients as well as to the main population. Practice Implications Having better knowledge about patients’ difficulties in understanding RCTs would allow physicians to adjust the information they give and then to enhance patients’ well-being.

Determinants of patient delay in doctor consultation in head and neck cancers (Protocol DEREDIA)

Introduction Reducing the time between the onset of the first symptoms of cancer and the first consultation with a doctor (patient delay) is essential to improve the vital prognosis and quality of life of patients. Longer patient delay is linked to the already known sociodemographic, socioeconomic, socioeducational, sociocultural and socioprofessional factors. However, recent data suggest that some sociocognitive and emotional determinants may explain patient delay from a complementary point of view. The main objective of this study is to assess whether, in head and neck cancer, patient delay is linked to these sociocognitive and emotional factors, in addition to previously known factors. Methods and analysis We intend to include in this study 400 patients with a not yet treated head and neck cancer diagnosed in one of six health centres in the North of France region. The main evaluation criterion is ‘patient delay’. Sociocognitive, emotional, medical, sociodemographic, socioeconomic, educational, professional and geographic factors will be assessed by means of (1) a case report form, (2) a questionnaire completed by the clinical research associate together with the patient, (3) a questionnaire completed by the patient and (4) a recorded semidirective interview of the patient by a psychologist (for 80 patients only). The collected data will be analysed to underline the differences between patients who consulted a doctor earlier versus those who consulted later. Ethics The study has obtained all the relevant authorisations for the protection of patients enrolled in clinical trials (CCTIRS, CCP, CNIL), does not involve products mentioned in article L.5311-1 of the French Code of Public Health, and does not imply any changes in the medical care received by the patients. The study began in October 2012 and will end in June 2015. Trial registration ID-RCB 2012-A00005-38.

Crossed evaluations of temptation to drink, strain and adjustment in couples with alcohol problems.

The aim was to describe discrepancies between patients’ and spouses’ dyadic adjustment scores, spouse strain and patients’ temptation to drink during abstinence. Patients overestimated the dyadic adjustment scores of their partner and spouses underestimated patients’ scores. Spouses overestimated patients’ temptation to drink. Correlations between patients’ and spouses’ scores were generally high (.61 to .78) except for five measures of spouse strain which were lower (.31 to .50). Results show discrepancies concerning marital function and the temptation to drink which could be important when planning treatment and prevention of relapse.

Social sharing of genetic information in the family A study on hereditary breast and ovarian cancers

The present study assessed how preventive medical information about hereditary breast and ovarian cancer is spread within the family before actual genetic test results. Forty-two women (19 had a breast or ovarian tumor and 23 did not) were asked to fill out a questionnaire about: (1) the spread within the family of the medical information received during the consultation; and (2) the reasons for sharing this information. Results indicate that all of the women socially shared medical information with an immediate family member for preventive purposes, and generally not for seeking emotional or informative social support.