Effective communication between partners is integral in helping couples to navigate and adapt to cancer-related challenges. However, many couples have difficulty communicating about cancer-related topics, which can lead to poorer individual and relational outcomes. Current couple-based interventions to improve communication between partners have proven to be efficacious, however, most interventions are time intensive, consisting of 4-8 one-hour long sessions. Additionally, there are well-documented challenges in recruiting couples into couple-based intervention trials, especially among underserved couples, which limits generalizability.

One potential solution is to develop micro-interventions, which consist of short activities and educational materials that can be delivered via mobile applications or text-messages. Micro-interventions are designed to offer greater flexibility and reduce barriers to participation and utilization. Previous studies have found micro-interventions to be effective in promoting health behavior change and in enhancing relationship functioning among community couples. To our knowledge, there are no existing micro-interventions that have been developed and tested in couples coping with cancer.

The current project aims to develop, and pilot test a micro-intervention focused on improving communication skills for couples coping with advanced GI cancer. The content of the micro-intervention utilizes animated videos, images, and messages to relay information and skills related to effective couples’ communication, which will be delivered via text-messaging. Currently, the project is in the intervention development phase. We have met with community advisory groups, whose members provided insightful recommendations including 1) the optimal text-messaging frequency (~3 text-messages/week), 2) adding a phone call or zoom session for participants to check-in, and 2) resources for recruitment of underserved couples. Currently, we are conducting qualitative interviews with couples to obtain feedback regarding potential feasibility and acceptability, strengths, and barriers related to the text-messaging micro-intervention. We will discuss the preliminary results from our meeting with the community advisory groups and the qualitative interviews with couples coping with advanced GI cancer. We will discuss our process in developing and refining the text-messaging communication micro-intervention, including lessons learned and future directions.