Expressive Writing for Caregivers of Persons With Cancer
NCT ID: NCT05859880
Last Updated: 2025-09-04
Study Results
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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COMPLETED
NA
100 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2023-06-08
2025-04-06
Brief Summary
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1. Does participation in a group-based, videoconference-delivered expressive writing intervention improve mood and quality of life for caregivers of persons with cancer?
2. Is greater improvement associated with writing that is more emotionally expressive or personally revealing, or with group-based sessions characterized by certain linguistic features such as greater emotionality?
3. Is benefit greater for certain subgroups of caregivers, such as those who are younger or who identify as female in gender?
Participants will be asked to join four videoconference-delivered, group-based expressive writing sessions. This will be done in groups of 4-8 caregivers and led by a trained facilitator. During each session, participants will write about their deepest thoughts and feelings about their loved one's cancer and their experiences as a caregiver. They will then discuss as a group any reactions to the writing process.
Participants will be randomly assigned to either active intervention (receiving the intervention as soon as a group is formed) or waitlist control. Researchers will compare active and waitlist control participants on to pre- to post-intervention changes in mood and quality of life.
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Detailed Description
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Specific aims are: (1) To examine the effects of a group-based, videoconference-delivered EW program on emotional, social, and physical well-being among informal caregivers of persons diagnosed with cancer; (2) To identify social and linguistic mechanisms by which participation in the group-based EW intervention may improve distress; and (3) To identify potential moderators of benefit including age, gender identity, relationship to the patient, and baseline social constraints.
Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
CROSSOVER
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
NONE
Study Groups
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Active intervention
Participants will attend four group-based expressive writing sessions led by a trained facilitator. All sessions will be delivered via videoconference. Sessions will occur weekly over the course of 4 consecutive weeks and will not exceed 60 minutes in length. Each session will include a 15- to 20-minute writing stint whereby participants are asked to write about their deepest thoughts and feelings regarding their loved one's cancer and their role as caregiver. All participants will be given a Rocketbook for this purpose, a spiral notebook that has the look and feel of a standard paper notebook but uses a pen with erasable ink. The writing stint will be followed by a group discussion; participants will be invited to share what they wrote about (if so desired) and their reactions to the writing process. Each session will end with a debriefing and erasure of the writing content just created. This will ensure privacy of the material and may be perceived as cleansing.
Expressive writing intervention
4 videoconference-delivered group-based expressive writing sessions
Waitlist control
Procedures are exactly the same as for the experimental arm but delayed.
Expressive writing intervention
4 videoconference-delivered group-based expressive writing sessions
Interventions
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Expressive writing intervention
4 videoconference-delivered group-based expressive writing sessions
Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* Self-identify as informal caregiver for an adult (age 18+) diagnosed with stage II-IV breast, ovarian, prostate, colon, rectal, or lung cancer within the past 2 years
* English speaking and comprehending
* Access to a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone and Wireless Fidelity (WIFI) to complete surveys and participate in videoconference-based expressive writing sessions
Exclusion Criteria
18 Years
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
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Arizona State University
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Locations
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Cancer Support Community Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Countries
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References
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Glajchen M. The emerging role and needs of family caregivers in cancer care. J Support Oncol. 2004 Mar-Apr;2(2):145-55.
Jayani R, Hurria A. Caregivers of older adults with cancer. Semin Oncol Nurs. 2012 Nov;28(4):221-5. doi: 10.1016/j.soncn.2012.09.004.
Areia NP, Fonseca G, Major S, Relvas AP. Psychological morbidity in family caregivers of people living with terminal cancer: Prevalence and predictors. Palliat Support Care. 2019 Jun;17(3):286-293. doi: 10.1017/S1478951518000044. Epub 2018 Feb 26.
Geng HM, Chuang DM, Yang F, Yang Y, Liu WM, Liu LH, Tian HM. Prevalence and determinants of depression in caregivers of cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 Sep;97(39):e11863. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000011863.
Northouse LL, Katapodi MC, Schafenacker AM, Weiss D. The impact of caregiving on the psychological well-being of family caregivers and cancer patients. Semin Oncol Nurs. 2012 Nov;28(4):236-45. doi: 10.1016/j.soncn.2012.09.006.
Girgis A, Lambert S, Johnson C, Waller A, Currow D. Physical, psychosocial, relationship, and economic burden of caring for people with cancer: a review. J Oncol Pract. 2013 Jul;9(4):197-202. doi: 10.1200/JOP.2012.000690. Epub 2012 Dec 4.
Teixeira RJ, Applebaum AJ, Bhatia S, Brandao T. The impact of coping strategies of cancer caregivers on psychophysiological outcomes: an integrative review. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2018 May 24;11:207-215. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S164946. eCollection 2018.
Stanton AL, Danoff-Burg S, Sworowski LA, Collins CA, Branstetter AD, Rodriguez-Hanley A, Kirk SB, Austenfeld JL. Randomized, controlled trial of written emotional expression and benefit finding in breast cancer patients. J Clin Oncol. 2002 Oct 15;20(20):4160-8. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2002.08.521.
Frattaroli J. Experimental disclosure and its moderators: a meta-analysis. Psychol Bull. 2006 Nov;132(6):823-65. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.132.6.823.
Smyth JM, Stone AA, Hurewitz A, Kaell A. Effects of writing about stressful experiences on symptom reduction in patients with asthma or rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized trial. JAMA. 1999 Apr 14;281(14):1304-9. doi: 10.1001/jama.281.14.1304.
Pennebaker JW, Beall SK. Confronting a traumatic event: toward an understanding of inhibition and disease. J Abnorm Psychol. 1986 Aug;95(3):274-81. doi: 10.1037//0021-843x.95.3.274. No abstract available.
Andresen EM, Malmgren JA, Carter WB, Patrick DL. Screening for depression in well older adults: evaluation of a short form of the CES-D (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale). Am J Prev Med. 1994 Mar-Apr;10(2):77-84.
Development of the World Health Organization WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment. The WHOQOL Group. Psychol Med. 1998 May;28(3):551-8. doi: 10.1017/s0033291798006667.
Weitzner MA, Jacobsen PB, Wagner H Jr, Friedland J, Cox C. The Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer (CQOLC) scale: development and validation of an instrument to measure quality of life of the family caregiver of patients with cancer. Qual Life Res. 1999;8(1-2):55-63. doi: 10.1023/a:1026407010614.
Cohen S, Kamarck T, Mermelstein R. A global measure of perceived stress. J Health Soc Behav. 1983 Dec;24(4):385-96. No abstract available.
Lee KC, Yiin JJ, Lu SH, Chao YF. The Burden of Caregiving and Sleep Disturbance Among Family Caregivers of Advanced Cancer Patients. Cancer Nurs. 2015 Jul-Aug;38(4):E10-8. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0000000000000166.
Other Identifiers
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STUDY00017135
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
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