NCT05975333

Writing Intervention With Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer

ChronCan (Chronicling Cancer): Piloting a Novel Writing Intervention With Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 26 (estimated)
• Sponsor: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 15 Years – 25 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Young people with cancer have difficult experiences and writing exercises may help improve their well-being. However, very few studies have examined how a creative writing activity might be useful for young people with cancer. In this pilot study, researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital hope to explore whether teenagers and young adults with cancer want to participate in a writing exercise and whether they find it to be valuable. Primary Objective To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a writing-based narrative medicine intervention for adolescent and young adult patients with cancer.

Detailed description

Participants will be given the opportunity to write about their experiences with cancer, with support and guidance from an expert writer. Participants will meet briefly with the expert at the start of the exercise (15-30 minutes), and they can choose to meet 1-3 additional times with the expert over the next 2 months to receive further support if they wish. After completing the writing exercise, participants will do an informal interview to share their thoughts about whether the experience of writing felt helpful or not. The post-intervention interview will occur at around 2 months after enrollment, +/- 1 month. Patients may participate in a second informal semi-structured interview 6 to 12 months after completing the first interview. Additionally, bereaved parents may participate in an informal interview on study.

Conditions

• Cancer Patients
• Communication Research

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Writing	Participants will be asked to write about their experiences with cancer, guided by several specific open-ended writing prompts to spark ideas.
BEHAVIORAL	Interview	Following completion of the writing exercise, participants will reflect on their experiences with the writing intervention in a semi-structured private interview with a member of the research team.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-08-02
• Primary completion: 2024-05-17
• Completion: 2027-07-01
• First posted: 2023-08-03
• Last updated: 2026-03-30

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States