This clinical trial evaluates the effect of expressive writing for the management of stress in cancer survivors. Cancer diagnosis and treatment are associated with increased stress in cancer survivors related to concerns about family, career, relationships, finances, side effects of treatment, and death. This stress can be further exacerbated by social upheavals such as the COVID-19 pandemic. For safety reasons, many patients are isolated with restricted access to in-person health care and reduced social interaction with family and friends. Together with the economic uncertainties that come with this pandemic, these factors are likely to increase cancer survivors’ stress levels. Expressive writing may provide a medium through which cancer survivors confront stressors and find meaning in their experience. The goal of this trial is to learn more about the experiences of cancer survivors during stressful times.
Study sponsor and potential other locations can be found on ClinicalTrials.gov for NCT04776941.
Locations matching your search criteria
United States
Texas
Houston
M D Anderson Cancer CenterStatus: Active
Contact: Qian Lu
Phone: 713-745-8324
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
I. To evaluate the feasibility of the virtual study for cancer survivors.
II. To preliminarily assess the impact of the intervention for cancer survivors.
OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.
ARM I (INTERVENTION): Patients complete questionnaires over 30 minutes about their mood, health, and income at baseline, and 1, 3, and 6 months. Patients also read brief positive messages and write essays about their experiences over 30 minutes (non-stop) once weekly (QW) for 3 weeks.
ARM II (CONTROL): Patients complete questionnaires over 30 minutes about their mood, health, and income at baseline, and 1, 3, and 6 months. Patients also read brief neutral messages and write essays about neutral topics over 30 minutes (non-stop) QW for 3 weeks.
Trial PhaseNo phase specified
Trial Typesupportive care
Lead OrganizationM D Anderson Cancer Center
Principal InvestigatorQian Lu