The Effect of Group Counselling based on Constructive Couple Communication on Perceived Spousal Support in Uterine and Cervical Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Control Trial.

The trial was small and conducted in two hospitals in Urmia, with 40 married women in Iran who could read and write, had stage I, II or III cancer, were receiving radiotherapy or chemotherapy, and had no psychiatric history or antidepressant use, so it may not apply to other patients or settings. Follow-up was only one week after the intervention, so it does not show whether the change in perceived support lasted. The outcome was self-reported perceived spousal support, not observed spousal behaviour, marital satisfaction, sexual function, distress or cancer outcomes. The counselling programme combined several elements, including group sessions, videos, images, booklets, optional individual counselling and psychiatrist guidance, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. Husband attendance was based on the women's request and was not standardised, so the effect of the couple component alone is unclear. The paper does not describe blinding of participants or outcome assessors, and expectations may have influenced self-reported scores. Sexual issues were considered taboo, and couples refused to discuss them in the group, so the programme may not address all communication problems in this population. The sample size was estimated from a pilot of 20 women, so the precision of the main trial is limited.

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Do not conclude that a brief communication talk will improve spousal support. This trial used five weekly group counselling sessions plus routine cancer care, with optional husband attendance, optional individual counselling, psychiatrist guidance, videos, booklets and images, and the outcome was self-reported support measured one week after the programme in 40 married women in Iran.