Scholars@Duke
Caroline Susan Dorfman

Caroline Susan Dorfman

Assistant Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neurosciences
caroline.dorfman@duke.edu
2400 Pratt St.,, North Pavilion, 7th Floor Room 7058, Durham, NC 27705

Selected Publications

Availability of Adolescent and Young Adult-Specific Sexual and Reproductive Health Programs and Resources: A Review of the Websites of National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Centers.

Journal Article J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol · October 28, 2024 Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors often search online for information about cancer-related sexual and reproductive health concerns. A review of the websites of National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers (n = 9) and comprehensive ca ... Full text Link to item Cite

Unmet Reproductive Health Care Information Needs of Female Young Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer: Oncology Providers' Perspectives.

Journal Article J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol · August 19, 2024 This study aimed to characterize unmet reproductive health needs of female young adult survivors of childhood cancer (YASCC), as understood by oncology providers (N = 10) caring for this patient population. Providers completed brief online questionnaires a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Adoption as an Alternative Family-Building Strategy: Perceptions of Female, Young Adult Cancer Survivors Receiving Gonadotoxic Treatments.

Journal Article J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol · August 2024 Female survivors of young adult (YA) cancers are at risk of fertility impacts following cancer treatment. For these women, fertility-related distress is both prevalent and persistent. Yet there is little research regarding survivors' perspectives on altern ... Full text Link to item Cite

Improving symptom management for survivors of young adult cancer: rationale and study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Journal Article Pilot Feasibility Stud · June 8, 2024 BACKGROUND: Young adult (YA) cancer survivors are a growing, yet underserved population who often face significant and long-lasting cancer-related physical (e.g., pain, fatigue) and emotional (e.g., psychological distress) symptoms. Post-treatment symptoms ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of Financial Costs on Patients' Fertility Preservation Decisions: An Examination of Qualitative Data from Female Young Adults with Cancer and Oncology Providers.

Journal Article J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol · June 2024 Purpose: To examine the impact of financial costs on fertility preservation decisions among female young adults (YAs) with cancer. Methods: Female YAs (N = 18; aged 21-36) with a history of cancer and oncology providers (N = 12) were recruited from an Nati ... Full text Link to item Cite

Health Care Access Barriers and Self-Reported Health Among Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors.

Journal Article J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol · February 2024 Purpose: Adolescents and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors (15-39 years at diagnosis) are at risk for treatment-related late effects but face barriers in accessing survivorship care. We examined the prevalence of five health care access (HCA) barriers: af ... Full text Link to item Cite

Author Response to Swisher et al.

Journal Article Phys Ther · February 1, 2024 Full text Link to item Cite

Breast cancer survivors with pain: an examination of the relationships between body mass index, physical activity, and symptom burden.

Journal Article Support Care Cancer · October 2, 2023 PURPOSE: Overweight and obesity are common for breast cancer survivors and associated with high symptom burden (i.e., pain, fatigue, depressive symptoms). Physical activity may protect breast cancer survivors with higher body mass indexes (BMI) from increa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Improving Symptom Management for Survivors of Young Adult Cancer: Development of a Novel Intervention.

Journal Article J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol · August 2023 Purpose: Improved symptom management is a critical although unmet post-treatment need for young adult (YA) cancer survivors (aged 18-39 at diagnosis). This study aimed to develop and refine a behavioral symptom management intervention for YA survivors. Met ... Full text Link to item Cite

mHealth Coping Skills Training for Symptom Management (mCOPE) for colorectal cancer patients in early to mid-adulthood: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Journal Article Contemp Clin Trials Commun · June 2023 BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients in early to mid-adulthood (≤50 years) are challenged by high symptom burden (i.e., pain, fatigue, distress) and age-related stressors (e.g., managing family, work). Cognitive behavioral theory (CBT)-based coping ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationships Between Burnout and Resilience: Experiences of Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Journal Article Phys Ther · May 4, 2023 OBJECTIVE: Research on burnout among physical therapists and occupational therapists in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is limited. Resilience may be important for reducing burnout and promoting well-being among rehabilitati ... Full text Link to item Cite

Symptom Communication Preferences and Communication Barriers for Young Adult Cancer Survivors and Their Health Care Providers.

Journal Article J Adolesc Young Adult Oncol · October 2022 Purpose: Effective communication between young adult (YA; aged 18-39 years) cancer survivors and their health care providers is critical for managing post-treatment symptoms. Yet, little is known about YAs' and providers' preferences for and barriers to sy ... Full text Link to item Cite

Managing female sexual dysfunction.

Journal Article Urol Oncol · August 2022 OBJECTIVE: Provide an overview of sexual dysfunction in female urologic cancer patients, approaches for assessing sexual problems, and interventions to treat sexual dysfunction in this patient population. METHODS: A review of the literature in urologic onc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of a Weight and Pain Management Program in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis With Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Investigation.

Journal Article J Clin Rheumatol · January 1, 2022 BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with poor outcomes for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Effective weight management is imperative. Although traditional lifestyle behavioral weight loss programs have demonstrated efficacy for reducing weight, thes ... Full text Link to item Cite

DEVELOPMENT, FEASIBILITY, AND ACCEPTABILITY OF A BEHAVIORAL WEIGHT AND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT INTERVENTION FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS AND INTIMATE PARTNERS.

Journal Article J Cancer Rehabil · 2022 BACKGROUND: Weight gain is common for breast cancer survivors and associated with disease progression, recurrence, and mortality. Traditional behavioral programs fail to address symptoms (i.e., pain, fatigue, distress) experienced by breast cancer survivor ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Addressing Barriers to Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients: The Role of Oncofertility Patient Navigation.

Journal Article Journal of oncology navigation & survivorship · October 2021 BackgroundInfertility is a common late effect for cancer survivors. Whereas assisted reproductive technology has made it possible for survivors to take steps to preserve fertility before starting treatment, only a minority of patients proceed with ... Cite

Sexual and Reproductive Health Concerns

Chapter · September 15, 2021 This book provides a clinically useful resource for evaluation and management of the symptoms and issues that burden survivors of breast cancer. ... Link to item Cite

Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms and Disorders

Chapter · September 15, 2021 This book provides a clinically useful resource for evaluation and management of the symptoms and issues that burden survivors of breast cancer. ... Cite

Achieving oncology mental health providers' usage of an empirically supported treatment: Lessons learned.

Journal Article Psychooncology · May 2021 OBJECTIVE: There is a need for oncology mental health providers to receive training to use empirically supported psychological treatments (ESTs) with their patients. The purpose of this editorial is to describe "lessons learned" from disseminating-conducti ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cognitive and Behavioral Interventions

Chapter · 2021 "Psycho-oncology, 4th Edition is solemnly dedicated to Professor Jimmie C. Holland, M.D., internationally recognized as the founder of the field of Psycho-oncology. ... Cite

Improving health engagement and lifestyle management for breast cancer survivors with diabetes.

Journal Article Contemp Clin Trials · May 2020 Breast cancer survivors with type 2 diabetes are at high risk for cancer recurrence, serious health complications, more severe symptoms, psychological distress, and premature death relative to breast cancer survivors without diabetes. Maintaining glycemic ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Partner status moderates the relationships between sexual problems and self-efficacy for managing sexual problems and psychosocial quality-of-life for postmenopausal breast cancer survivors taking adjuvant endocrine therapy.

Journal Article Menopause · August 2019 OBJECTIVE: Past studies indicate that >90% of breast cancer survivors taking adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) experience menopausal symptoms including sexual problems (eg, vaginal dryness, dyspareunia); however, research examining the impact of these probl ... Full text Link to item Cite

A behavioral cancer pain intervention: A randomized noninferiority trial comparing in-person with videoconference delivery.

Journal Article Psychooncology · August 2019 OBJECTIVE: Behavioral cancer pain interventions are efficacious for improving important pain outcomes; yet, traditional in-person delivery limits patient access. This study compared videoconference-delivered mobile health pain coping skills training (mPCST ... Full text Link to item Cite

Reminders of cancer risk and pain catastrophizing: relationships with cancer worry and perceived risk in women with a first-degree relative with breast cancer.

Journal Article Fam Cancer · January 2019 First-degree relatives of women with breast cancer may experience increased worry or perceived risk when faced with reminders of their own cancer risk. Worry and risk reminders may include physical symptoms (e.g., persistent breast pain) and caregiving exp ... Full text Link to item Cite

Testing a behavioral intervention to improve adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET).

Journal Article Contemp Clin Trials · January 2019 Adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) is used to prevent recurrence and reduce mortality for women with hormone receptor positive breast cancer. Poor adherence to AET is a significant problem and contributes to increased medical costs and mortality. A variety o ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Development and pilot testing of an mHealth behavioral cancer pain protocol for medically underserved communities.

Journal Article J Psychosoc Oncol · 2019 The purpose of this study was to refine and test a mobile-health behavioral cancer pain coping skills training protocol for women with breast cancer and pain from medically underserved areas. Three focus groups (Phase 1) were used to refine the initial pro ... Full text Link to item Cite

The effect of pre-transplant pain and chronic disease self-efficacy on quality of life domains in the year following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Journal Article Support Care Cancer · April 2018 PURPOSE: Pain is common for hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients and may be experienced pre-transplant, acutely post-transplant, and for months or years following transplant. HSCT patients with persistent pain may be at risk for poor quality ... Full text Link to item Cite

An mHealth Pain Coping Skills Training Intervention for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Patients: Development and Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Journal Article JMIR Mhealth Uhealth · March 19, 2018 BACKGROUND: Pain is a challenge for patients following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop and test the feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy of a Web-based mobile pain coping skills training (mP ... Full text Link to item Cite

The relationship between holding back from communicating about breast concerns and anxiety in the year following breast biopsy.

Journal Article J Psychosoc Oncol · 2018 PURPOSE: Evidence suggests open communication about breast cancer concerns promotes psychological adjustment, while holding back can lead to negative outcomes. Little is known about the relationship between communication and distress following breast biops ... Full text Link to item Cite

Positive and negative mood following imaging-guided core needle breast biopsy and receipt of biopsy results.

Journal Article Psychol Health Med · December 2017 Positive and negative mood are independent psychological responses to stressful events. Negative mood negatively impacts well-being and co-occurring positive mood leads to improved adjustment. Women undergoing core needle breast biopsies (CNB) experience d ... Full text Link to item Cite

An mHealth Pain Coping Skills Training Intervention for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Patients: Development and Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

Journal Article · July 27, 2017 BACKGROUNDPain is a challenge for patients following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). Full text Cite

Optimizing delivery of a behavioral pain intervention in cancer patients using a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial SMART.

Journal Article Contemp Clin Trials · June 2017 BACKGROUND/AIMS: Pain is common in cancer patients and results in lower quality of life, depression, poor physical functioning, financial difficulty, and decreased survival time. Behavioral pain interventions are effective and nonpharmacologic. Traditional ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cognitive problems following hematopoietic stem cell transplant: relationships with sleep, depression and fatigue.

Journal Article Bone Marrow Transplant · February 2017 Cognitive problems are a significant, persistent concern for patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Sleep is important for many cognitive tasks; however, the relationship between sleep and cognitive problems for HSCT patients is unk ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evidence-based psychosocial treatment in the community: considerations for dissemination and implementation.

Journal Article Psychooncology · May 2016 BACKGROUND: In psycho-oncology care, steps toward dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) have not been made. For this to change, factors associated with real-world dissemination and implementation must be identified. In the co ... Full text Link to item Cite

Test of mindfulness and hope components in a psychological intervention for women with cancer recurrence.

Journal Article J Consult Clin Psychol · December 2014 OBJECTIVE: Psychological interventions can attenuate distress and enhance coping for those with an initial diagnosis of cancer, but there are few intervention options for individuals with cancer recurrence. To address this gap, we developed and tested a no ... Full text Link to item Cite

DISSEMINATION OF THE BIOBEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION: FROM CANCER TO HEALTH

Journal Article ANNALS OF BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE · April 1, 2014 Link to item Cite

Emotions and social relationships for breast and gynecologic patients: a qualitative study of coping with recurrence.

Journal Article Psychooncology · April 2014 BACKGROUND: In contrast to the large literature on patients' coping with an initial diagnosis of cancer, there have been few quantitative or qualitative studies of patients coping with recurrence. A qualitative study was undertaken to aid in the developmen ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hope and social support utilisation among different age groups of women with breast cancer and their spouses.

Journal Article Psychol Health · 2014 OBJECTIVE: Social support and hope are considered positive, important contributors to psychological well-being for women with breast cancer and their spouses. Few studies examine the role of age in relation to these variables. The current study compares th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Fostering informed decisions: a randomized controlled trial assessing the impact of a decision aid among men registered to undergo mass screening for prostate cancer.

Journal Article Patient Educ Couns · June 2013 OBJECTIVE: Screening asymptomatic men for prostate cancer is controversial and informed decision making is recommended. Within two prostate cancer screening programs, we evaluated the impact of a print-based decision aid (DA) on decision-making outcomes. M ... Full text Link to item Cite

Predictors of adverse smoking outcomes in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial.

Journal Article J Natl Cancer Inst · November 7, 2012 BACKGROUND: The impact of lung cancer screening on smoking behavior is unclear. The aims of this ancillary study of the Prostate Lung Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial were to produce risk prediction models to identify individuals at risk of re ... Full text Link to item Cite

REDUCED SOCIAL SUPPORT IN RECURRENT CANCER: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Journal Article ANNALS OF BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE · April 1, 2012 Link to item Cite

Impact of breast cancer recurrence and cancer-specific stress on spouse health and immune function.

Journal Article Brain Behav Immun · February 2012 Spouses of cancer patients are at-risk for poor psychological and physical health as they cope with the complex nature of the disease and fears of losing their partner. Moreover, spouses often serve as patients' primary informal caregivers, a group that ev ... Full text Link to item Cite

Physicians' attitudes about shared decision making for prostate cancer screening.

Journal Article Fam Med · April 2011 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Shared decision making (SDM) for prostate cancer screening (PCS) is recommended for physicians and patients due to the uncertainty regarding the risks and benefits of screening. METHODS: We assessed primary care physicians' attit ... Link to item Cite

The development of a web- and a print-based decision aid for prostate cancer screening.

Journal Article BMC Med Inform Decis Mak · March 3, 2010 BACKGROUND: Whether early detection and treatment of prostate cancer (PCa) will reduce disease-related mortality remains uncertain. As a result, tools are needed to facilitate informed decision making. While there have been several decision aids (DAs) deve ... Full text Link to item Cite

Physicians' attitudes and practices regarding prostate cancer screening

Journal Article ANNALS OF BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE · March 1, 2008 Link to item Cite

Absence of carboxypeptidase E leads to adult hippocampal neuronal degeneration and memory deficits.

Journal Article Hippocampus · 2008 Molecules that govern the formation, integrity, and function of the hippocampus remain an important area of investigation. Here we show that absence of the proneuropeptide processing enzyme, carboxypeptidase E (CPE) in CPE knock-out (KO) mice had a profoun ... Full text Link to item Cite