An expressive writing randomised controlled trial with colorectal cancer patients: A test of the underlying mechanism

A randomised controlled trial with curative colorectal cancer patients to test the effectiveness of an expressive writing intervention to improve psychological adjustment and lessen the physical symptoms resulting from cancer treatment

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Phase 1

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12606000204549

Enrollment

160

Registered

2006-05-29

Start date

2006-06-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

This study will test an expressive writing intervention with bowel cancer patients to determine whether participation in the intervention leads to improved physical functioning, lessened psychological distress and increased personal growth, compared to those who do not participate in the intervention. Expressive writing is the writing of deep thoughts and feelings connected to a person's cancer diagnosis and treatment experiences. Participants in the intervention group will write in a journal for 30 minutes, 4 times, over 3 weeks. Participants will fill out questionnaires before and after the intervention as well as 2 months later, to determine whether they experience positive change, and changes over time.

Interventions

This study tests an expressive writing intervention. Expressive writing is the writing of deep thoughts and feelings about a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Participants engage in 4 writing sessions of 30 minutes duration each, spaced one week apart. Participants are allocated to one of two groups: Intervention group or Waitlist control group. The Intervention group participates in the intervention up to 4 weeks post their final cancer tre

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Intervention model

Parallel

Primary purpose

Educational / counselling / training

Masking

Open (masking not used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

(a) colon or rectal cancer (Dukes stage A, B or C), (b) completed all cancer treatment within last 4 weeks, (c) can read/write English.

Exclusion criteria

(a) has metastatic disease, (b) has recurrent colorectal cancer, (c) previous cancer diagnosis of any type, (d) psychiatric illness (not related to cancer diagnosis).

Outcome results