Paul Jacobsen
Paul Jacobsen
Professor
Contact
Office: PCD 4102
Phone: 813/974-0477
Email:
Links
Teaching
Ph.D. Area: Clinical
Research
My interest is in behavioral and psychosocial aspects of cancer and is conducted at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute. The goal of this work is to demonstrate how an understanding of psychological principles can be used to reduce cancer-related morbidity and mortality. Over the past few years, my students and I have conducted a number of studies investigating the etiology and management of behavioral side effects of cancer treatment. With funding from the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute, we demonstrated that a brief cognitive-behavioral intervention (stress management training) is effective in improving patients’ quality of life as they undergo cancer chemotherapy treatment. Based on these findings, we are currently conducting a second randomized trial to examine the separate and combined effects of stress management training and exercise training on quality of life during chemotherapy treatment. Current work also focuses on investigating fatigue, one of the most common and distressing symptoms experienced by cancer patients. Our research has led to the development of tools to measure fatigue, estimates of the prevalence and intensity of fatigue during and following completion of cancer treatment, and identification of clinical and psychological factors that explain individual differences in fatigue severity. We are also involved in studying behavioral aspects of cancer prevention and detection. Along these lines, we are currently investigating ways to promote cancer screening and prevention behaviors among individuals who are at increased risk for cancer due to a family history of the disease.
Current Courses
Recent Publications
Jacobsen, P. B., Meade, C. D., Stein, K. D., Chirikos, T. N., Small, B. J., & Ruckdeschel, J. C. (2002). Efficacy and costs of two forms of stress management training for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 20, 2851-2862.
Jacobsen, P. B., Andrykowski, M. A., & Thors, C. L. (2004). Relationship of catastrophizing to fatigue among women receiving treatment for breast cancer. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 355-361.
Jacobsen, P. B., Donovan, K. A., Trask, P. C., Fleishman, S. B., Zabora, J., Baker, F., & Holland, J. C. (2005). Screening for psychologic distress in ambulatory cancer patients: A multi-center evaluation of the Distress Thermometer. Cancer, 103, 1494-1502.
Widows, M. R., Jacobsen, P. B., Booth-Jones, M., & Fields, K. K. (2005). Predictors of posttraumatic growth following bone marrow transplantation for cancer. Health Psychology, 24, 266-273.
Donovan, K. A., Small, B. J., Andrykowski, M. A., Schmitt, F. A., Munster, P., & Jacobsen, P. B. (2005). Cognitive functioning after adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy for early-stage breast cancer. Cancer, 104, 2499-2507.
Azzarello, L. M., Dessureault, S., & Jacobsen, P. B. (2006). Sun protective behavior among individuals with a family history of melanoma. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, 15, 142-145.
Donovan, K. A., Small, B. J., Andrykowski, M. A., Munster, P., & Jacobsen, P. B. (in press). Utility of a cognitive-behavioral model to predict fatigue following breast cancer treatment. Health Psychology.