Grant: Operating Grant

Psychosocial support and health information are integral to the well-being of men who have prostate cancer, and prostate cancer support groups (PCSGs) have emerged as important community-based resources in Canada and other Western countries. Our previous research reveals PCSGs as an ideal forum for men and their partners to garner support and guidance about prostate cancer and its treatments, and these volunteer, survivor-led resources can reduce the demand on professional psychosocial oncology care services. That said, PCSGs experience challenges in terms of sustainability, and attracting and retaining group members and collaborating with health care providers and services are key issues. The proposed research will extend our previous work with face-to-face PCSGs through three sequential sub-studies underpinned by the overall objective, to advance the health promotion efforts of PCSGs as a means to enhancing the well-being of men who experience prostate cancer and their families. The sub-studies include 1) a survey of health care providers' views of PCSGs, 2) focus group interviews with diverse sub-groups of potential end-users to distil the key components of a web-based PCSG and 3) the design, pre-test and pilot test of a web-based PCSG.