Table 1.
Group characteristics for 3 types of supportive groups attended by cancer patients (N = 292).
| Characteristic | Therapist-Led | Non-Therapist-Led | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group | Stanford SET (n = 20) | TWC/CSC (n = 224) | Self-Help, Lecture/Discussion, Social Groups (n = 48) |
| Setting | University Randomized Trial | Community Clinical setting | Community Hospital, ACS Cansurmount, and Community Randomized Trial |
| Location | S.F. Bay Area, CA | 6 Sites in CA | Champaign-Urbana, IL and S.F. Bay Area |
| Format | Facilitated, Unstructured Emotional Support | Facilitated, Unstructured Emotional Support | Un-Facilitated, Unstructured Emotional Support, Structured Lectures/Discussion |
| Leadership Style | Supportive-Expressive | Patient-Active Concept | Peer-led, Lecture, and Un-led |
| Characteristic | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) |
| Meeting Size | 5.75 (2.24) | 9.16 (2.40) | 14.22 (12.47) |
| Meeting Length (h) | 1.50 (0.0) | 2.00 (0.0) | 5.22 (13.94) |
| Meetings per Month | 4.00 (0.0) | 4.00 (0.0) | 2.79 (4.50) |
| % Women | 100 | 69.1 | 78.9 |
| % Breast Cancer | 100 | 23.9 | 30.3 |
| % Metastatic | 100 | 39.6 | 15.0 |
Note: Stanford Supportive-Expressive Group Therapy (SET), The Wellness Community (TWC/CSC: Currently named The Cancer Support Community), American Cancer Society (ACS), Cansurmount was a peer-counseling program sponsored by ACS.