Couple-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Qualitative interviews will cover four main goals including: (1) key sources of distress in mCRC patients and partners; (2) perceptions of mindfulness, including benefits, definitions, and applications; (3) barriers and facilitators of participation (e.g. home-based and couple-based skills practice, enrollment); and (4) session format preferences, such as session length and frequency.

The objective of the cognitive interviews (60 minutes, led by the PI) is to ensure the comprehensibility and appropriateness of the drafted participant materials. Published guidelines note a sample size of 12 participants (6 mCRC couples) should be sufficient. Participants will be asked to read, review, and mark up the participant materials in order to identify sections that were difficult to understand. They will also be asked to test playing segments of the audio/video recordings to ensure ease of use. A semi-structured interview format will be used to elicit feedback, including a standard verbal survey assessing ease of reading the material, any difficulties experienced, and suggestions they have for improving the ease of material use. Information generated will be used to update materials as necessary.