Color Cancer Connect: A peer-led, skills-focused support program for cancer survivors.

545 Background: Cancer survivors face disproportionately high burdens of mental health concerns relative to the general population. Many seek empowering peer relationships to get support after treatment. Research suggests that these relationships are helpful, but that access to psychoeducation could also be beneficial. However, few programs combine these two powerful components, and access to structured evidence-based peer groups that focus on evidence-based skills are limited and can vary significantly by location or treatment center. Methods: We conducted an IRB-approved prospective randomized pilot study to examine the impact of Color Cancer Connect, a virtual, group-based peer-led mental wellness program for cancer survivors on depression, anxiety, and loneliness (NCT#: NCT06353178). This program is an adaptation of previously peer-reviewed programs targeting other populations, like pediatric palliative caregivers. This program is supervised by a psychologist and part of a 50-state Virtual Cancer Clinic. It encourages sharing experiences, disseminates evidence-based education about coping skills and wellness, and guides skills practice in a supportive adult-learning environment. Participants were randomized to start the program immediately (“intervention group”; n = 12) or after a delay (“waitlist group”; n = 13). Surveys were completed at baseline (T0) and after three months (T1) with the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and the Three-Item Loneliness scale. Facilitators were trained to respond to severe psychiatric symptoms by referring to a supervisor or appropriate emergency service; this did not occur during the study. Two sample t-tests were conducted to compare differences between T1 & T0. Results: The “intervention group” reported 36% improvement in anxiety symptoms from T0 to T1, which was significantly different from the “waitlist group” from T0 to T1 ( t (23) = -1.725, p = 0.049); 67% of intervention participants met the minimally clinically important difference (MCID) for anxiety. Program participants also experienced a 36% and 10% decrease in depressive and loneliness symptoms, respectively; these differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a virtual peer-led, skills-based support program designed for cancer survivors to improve mental health. Virtual behavioral health interventions may deliver a scalable improvement in mental health outcomes for cancer survivors, potentially curbing excess healthcare utilization. Clinical trial information: NCT06353178 .