NCT02339870

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

Caring for Caregivers: Increasing Cancer Caregiver Wellbeing and Comforting Sensitivity

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 100 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Washington · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 19 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

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.

Detailed description

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

• Caregiver

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Psychosocial Support for Caregiver	Complete expressive disclosure writing
OTHER	Psychosocial Support for Caregiver	Complete benefit finding writing
OTHER	Questionnaire Administration	Ancillary studies
OTHER	Sham Intervention	Complete writing on an emotionally neutral topic

Timeline

• Start date: 2015-04-01
• Primary completion: 2016-01-01
• Completion: 2016-01-01
• First posted: 2015-01-16
• Last updated: 2016-02-15

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States