Expressive Writing in Improving the Wellbeing or Comforting Capacity of Caregivers of Patients With 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

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

100 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2015-04-30

Study Completion Date

2016-01-31

Brief Summary

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This randomized clinical trial studies expressive writing in improving the wellbeing or comforting capacity of caregivers of patients with cancer. Expressive writing is a type of intervention that asks people to write about important topics (in this case participants' experience with their spouses'/partners' cancer) and their emotions/feelings surrounding them. Expressive writing, including benefit finding and traumatic disclosure, may be a type of at-home-therapy that caregivers can utilize in an attempt to increase their own wellbeing, offer better comfort to cancer patients, and by association, help cancer patients cope with and manage the cancer experience.

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Detailed Description

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PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To test whether one, or both, types of expressive writing impact spouses of cancer survivors' reported emotional wellbeing and reported ability to provide comfort as compared to a control group.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms or assigned to a control arm.

ARM I (EXPRESSIVE DISCLOSURE): Participants complete an anonymous 20 minute writing exercise at home on their computer once per week for 2 weeks (days 2, 9, and 16 for a total of 3 sessions). Participants write about their emotions pertaining to managing and providing care for the cancer patient.

ARM II (BENEFIT FINDING): Participants complete an anonymous 20 minute writing exercise at home on their computer once per week for 2 weeks (days 2, 9, and 16 for a total of 3 sessions). Participants write about any benefits that have arisen because of the cancer diagnosis.

ARM III (CONTROL): Participants complete an anonymous 20 minute writing exercise at home on their computer once per week for 2 weeks (days 2, 9, and 16 for a total of 3 sessions). Participants write about an emotionally neutral topic.

After completion of study, participants are followed up at day 17.

Conditions

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Caregiver

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Arm I (expressive disclosure)

Participants complete an anonymous 20 minute writing exercise at home on their computer once per week for 2 weeks (days 2, 9, and 16 for a total of 3 sessions). Participants write about their emotions pertaining to managing and providing care for the cancer patient.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Psychosocial Support for Caregiver

Intervention Type OTHER

Complete expressive disclosure writing

Questionnaire Administration

Intervention Type OTHER

Ancillary studies

Arm II (benefit finding)

Participants complete an anonymous 20 minute writing exercise at home on their computer once per week for 2 weeks (days 2, 9, and 16 for a total of 3 sessions). Participants write about any benefits that have arisen because of the cancer diagnosis.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Psychosocial Support for Caregiver

Intervention Type OTHER

Complete benefit finding writing

Questionnaire Administration

Intervention Type OTHER

Ancillary studies

Arm III (control)

Participants complete an anonymous 20 minute writing exercise at home on their computer once per week for 2 weeks (days 2, 9, and 16 for a total of 3 sessions). Participants write about an emotionally neutral topic.

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

Questionnaire Administration

Intervention Type OTHER

Ancillary studies

Sham Intervention

Intervention Type OTHER

Complete writing on an emotionally neutral topic

Interventions

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Psychosocial Support for Caregiver

Complete expressive disclosure writing

Intervention Type OTHER

Psychosocial Support for Caregiver

Complete benefit finding writing

Intervention Type OTHER

Questionnaire Administration

Ancillary studies

Intervention Type OTHER

Sham Intervention

Complete writing on an emotionally neutral topic

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Participants must be a spouse or domestic partner of a cancer survivor and will be recruited via the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Database at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC)
* Participants must have been in their spousal relationship for at least the past 1 year