Expressive Writing and Adjustment to Metastatic Breast Cancer

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Total Enrollment

98 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2008-02-29

Study Completion Date

2012-01-31

Brief Summary

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We are doing this study to see if writing about life experiences helps women adjust to breast cancer that has spread. We will compare two groups. One group will write about their breast cancer experience. The other will write about their daily activities. What we learn from this study may help us to find new ways to help women cope with breast cancer that has spread.

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Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Metastatic Breast Cancer

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

COHORT

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

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1

emotional disclosure writing intervention

Writing Intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the emotional disclosure condition will be instructed to write continuously for 20 minutes about their deepest thoughts and feelings regarding their cancer experience.

2

control writing

Writing Intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants assigned to the control condition will be instructed to describe in a detailed, nonemotional manner their daily activities. The 20-minute writing task will be introduced as a time management intervention

Interventions

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Writing Intervention

Participants in the emotional disclosure condition will be instructed to write continuously for 20 minutes about their deepest thoughts and feelings regarding their cancer experience.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Writing Intervention

Participants assigned to the control condition will be instructed to describe in a detailed, nonemotional manner their daily activities. The 20-minute writing task will be introduced as a time management intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

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Over four sessions, I want you to write about your experience with cancer. In your writing, I want you to really let go and explore your very deepest emotions and thoughts. It is critical that you delve deeply. Over four sessions, I want you to write about how you use your time. I am interested in everything you do during the course of a day. I realize that you experience many emotions, but in your writing I want you to focus only on the facts, not on your emotions.

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Women with Stage IV breast cancer
* Receiving cancer care at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
* At least 18 years of age
* Can speak, read, and write in English
* In the judgment of consenting professionals able to provide informed consent
* Score of 4 or higher on the distress thermometer (established cutoff score for probable distress; see Jacobsen et al., 2005)

Exclusion Criteria

* Significant psychiatric or cognitive impairment (dementia/delirium, retardation, psychosis) that in the judgment of the investigators will preclude providing informed consent and participating in the intervention
* Currently engaging in expressive writing (e.g., journal writing that involves expressing one's feelings) on a daily basis
* Currently participating in intervention trials with similar endpoints • Male

Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No