Adapting a mental health program for people with multiple myeloma and smouldering myeloma: a consumer-informed feasibility study

Natalie Tuckey; Matthew Iasiello; Melissa Cantley; Joep van Agteren; Hayley Beer; Daniel B Fassnacht; Imogen Ramsey; Laura C Edney; Rayan Saleh Moussa; Luke Grundy; Mark Ryan; Kathina Ali; Hannah R Wardill

doi:10.1007/s00520-026-11163-2

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Adapting a mental health program for people with multiple myeloma and smouldering myeloma: a consumer-informed feasibility study

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Adapting a mental health program for people with multiple myeloma and smouldering myeloma: a consumer-informed feasibility study

Natalie Tuckey, Matthew Iasiello, Melissa Cantley, Joep van Agteren, Hayley Beer, Daniel B Fassnacht, Imogen Ramsey, Laura C Edney, Rayan Saleh Moussa, Luke Grundy, …

Supportive Care in Cancer, Vol.34(10), pp.1-15

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-026-11163-2

PMID: 42706438

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Abstract

Multiple myeloma

Smouldering multiple myeloma

Mental health

Mental wellbeing

Consumer-informed

Consumer involvement in mental health interventions is recognised as essential to producing research that is relevant, acceptable, and ultimately more effective. Here, we report on a mixed-method pilot study to evaluate the suitability of an existing mental health program for people living with incurable blood cancer, multiple myeloma, and precursor form, smouldering multiple myeloma. The study sought to identify consumer-informed recommendations to guide the future adaptation of a bespoke mental health program for this population who face significant psychosocial distress due to disease and treatment-related symptoms and burden. Twenty consumers (38–72 years) with multiple myeloma (n = 16) and smouldering multiple myeloma (n = 4), as well as Myeloma Australia nurses (n = 4), pilot-tested an existing online mental health program—the Be Well Plan. After program delivery, feedback surveys and semi-structured focus groups were used to inform future program adaptation. Pre-post assessment of empowerment, mental wellbeing, anxiety and depression were analysed to identify preliminary signals of change and inform future trial planning. Satisfaction with and feasibility of the program was encouraging. Qualitative thematic analysis of post-program feedback revealed several themes including the importance of connecting with other consumers, the need for myeloma-specific adaptation, and delivery, facilitation, and clinical implementation considerations. Univariate ANOVAs indicated significant improvements with large effects in both mental wellbeing (ηp2 = .24) and empowerment (ηp2 = .25), with non-significant effects on anxiety and depressive symptoms, providing important insights for future adequately powered trials. This study provides preliminary evidence of the feasibility and acceptability of a mental health program which will guide the adaptation and testing of a future myeloma-specific program, ensuring it is person-centred and designed for optimal sustainability, implementation and impact.

Details

Title: Adapting a mental health program for people with multiple myeloma and smouldering myeloma: a consumer-informed feasibility study
Authors: Natalie Tuckey (Corresponding Author) - South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
Matthew Iasiello - Adelaide University
Melissa Cantley - Adelaide University
Joep van Agteren - Adelaide University
Hayley Beer - Myeloma Australia
Daniel B Fassnacht - University of the Sunshine Coast
Imogen Ramsey - Flinders University
Laura C Edney - Flinders University
Rayan Saleh Moussa - University of Technology Sydney
Luke Grundy - Flinders University
Mark Ryan
Kathina Ali - University of the Sunshine Coast
Hannah R Wardill - South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
Publication details: Supportive Care in Cancer, Vol.34(10), pp.1-15
Publisher: Springer
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1007/s00520-026-11163-2
ISSN: 1433-7339
PMID: 42706438
Copyright note: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Data Availability: No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.
Grant note: Funding for this research has been provided from the Australian Government's Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Psychology
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991255535402621
Output Type: Journal article

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