Effect of Group Led Creative Writing on Mood in Cancer Patients

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Cancer Patients

In brief

The primary purpose of this study is to determine whether creative writing in newly diagnosed cancer patients and those with recent progression in their disease will have a positive impact on their mental health. Using a randomized controlled trial approach, emotion thermometers will be employed to evaluate participants' responses on a number of domains, such as anxiety, depression, despair, and anger along with a series of survey questions to monitor changes in depressive and anxiety symptoms. Open-ended survey questions will be used to capture how a creative writing intervention impacts participants' experience of their illness. Melissa Greene's Write from the Heart program focuses more on creative writing rather than cancer focused topics. Patients in the intervention arm will complete -one and a half hour group sessions every two weeks over the span of 3 months. Participants in the active control arm will be provided a book (i.e., Writing Down Bones by Natalie Goldberg) about creative writing and will be asked to do activities for 1.5 hrs every 2 weeks for a period of 3 months.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT03536702

Run by

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

People needed

60

Starts

2018-03-28

Expected to finish

2018-11-16

Last updated by the study team

2020-10-20

Who can join

Age: 20 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Newly diagnosed with any stage or type of cancer within 3 months OR progression of disease within 3 months of enrollment. Recurrence of cancer within 3 months of enrollment would also be eligible as it will be considered as progression of cancer Ability to understand English language and ability to write without any functional difficulty ECOG performance status 0-3

You may not qualify if…

• Inability to give informed consent Severe psychiatry illness (e.g., uncontrolled depression, schizophrenia or psychosis) Severe cognitive impairment Pregnant females Inability to write or understand English

Where it is running

• Penn State Cancer Institute — Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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