None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of the study is to further understand women's experiences, regarding how they feel about themselves, their body, weight and appearance after completing treatment for breast cancer. This study has two parts. The first part is an on-line questionnaire to be filled in upon signing up for the study, with participants then undertaking follow up questionnaires one week, one month and 3 months after completing a writing activity. Participants will be asked about demographic information in the first questionnaire. Participants will also be asked about their current feelings and the impact of breast cancer or lymphoedema upon their body. It is expected that participants will need no more than 30 minutes to complete each on-line questionnaire. The second part of the study involves doing a writing activity. Participants will be allocated to one of two writing groups (structured or unstructured writing formats). Participants will be asked to do an online writing exercise and will be asked to write about their unpleasant feelings and experiences during treatment for their cancer or lymphoedema as well as its impact upon their body. It is expected that this part will take about 30 minutes. This activity is completed anonymously, and participants will have the option to voluntarily submit their writing.
Interventions
This is a 2-group design (control & intervention) assessing the effect of an online writing intervention.
Exposure to intervention occurs once only and for approximately 30 minutes.
Intervention - structured writing with self-compassionate prompts about difficult body image experiences after treatment for breast cancer. The writing prompts are delivered in an online format via a website accessed by participants allocated to the experimental condition. To monitor time spent undertaking the inter
This is a 2-group design (control & intervention) assessing the effect of an online writing intervention. Exposure to intervention occurs once only and for approximately 30 minutes. Intervention - structured writing with self-compassionate prompts about difficult body image experiences after treatment for breast cancer. The writing prompts are delivered in an online format via a website accessed by participants allocated to the experimental condition. To monitor time spent undertaking the intervention, participants are asked to record their start and finish time on the website.
Sponsors
Macquarie University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Participants: The study will be open to women who have completed active non-hormonal cancer treatment for breast cancer (surgery, chemotherapy and / or radiation). Participants may be still receiving follow up care and / or longer term hormonal treatments. Participants must be over the age of 18, have adequate command of the English language and computer skills. Participant recruitment will occur through the Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA), and other consumer organisation such as Breast Cancer WA and specialised lyphoedema services (Therapy for Life, Mt. Wilga Lymphoedema Clinic and the Macquarie University Hospital Physiotherapy Clinic) as required . The study will be advertised through the BCNA and related organisations, participants will self-select by responding to a website link contained in the advertisement.
Exclusion criteria
Under age of 18 Insufficient written English skills No access to an internet-linked computer Lack of computer literacy Still undergoing active breast cancer treatment
Outcome results
None listed