Parental Mutual Support During Cancer (ElternMUT): Development and Evaluation of a Psycho-Oncological Group Intervention for Parents with Cancer

Parental Mutual Support During Cancer (ElternMUT): Development and Evaluation of a Psycho-Oncological Group Intervention for Parents with Cancer - ElternMUT

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Phase 2

Study type

Interventional

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00040039

Enrollment

Registered

2026-04-23

Start date

2025-11-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-04-27

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

Conditions

Psycho-oncological burden in the family context: parents with cancer who have minor children

Interventions

Group 1: Single-arm, prospective, monocentric, uncontrolled psycho-oncological group intervention consisting of three sessions of 120 minutes each, conducted at approximately biweekly intervals, prece

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: • Fluency in the German language • Ability to participate in the three group sessions (held biweekly) • Written informed consent following prior information Inclusion criteria for the affected parent: o Cancer patient with any type of cancer o < 6 months since initial diagnosis o Has minor children Inclusion criteria for the healthy parent: o Partner of a cancer patient

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: • Severe psychiatric disorders and suicidality • Severe cognitive impairment

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Feasibility and acceptability of the group intervention, operationalized by the retention rate (>70%) and participant satisfaction with the intervention (ZUF-8, Questionnaire for Measuring Patient Satisfaction), assessed prior to and as soon as possible after participation in the group; Preliminary efficacy of the intervention, operationalized by increase in knowledge (study-specific knowledge test developed for this study, based on the KOMKEK study), self-efficacy (GSES, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale), and quality of life (SF-12, questionnaire assessing general health status), assessed prior to and as soon as possible after participation in the group.	—

Measure

Time frame

Feasibility and acceptability of the group intervention, operationalized by the retention rate (>70%) and participant satisfaction with the intervention (ZUF-8, Questionnaire for Measuring Patient Satisfaction), assessed prior to and as soon as possible after participation in the group; Preliminary efficacy of the intervention, operationalized by increase in knowledge (study-specific knowledge test developed for this study, based on the KOMKEK study), self-efficacy (GSES, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale), and quality of life (SF-12, questionnaire assessing general health status), assessed prior to and as soon as possible after participation in the group.

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Preliminary efficacy of the group intervention, operationalized by: Dyadic coping (DCI, Dyadic Coping Inventory), Quality of life of participants minor children (Kiddy-KINDL parent version for ages 3–6, Questionnaire for Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Children; and/or Kid- and Kiddo-KINDL parent version, Questionnaire for Measuring Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents), Depression (PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire), Anxiety (GAD-7, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7), Distress (NCCN Distress-Thermometer, National Comprehensive Cancer Network), Individual coping (Brief COPE, Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced), Psychological difficulties in participants minor children (SDQ-Deu, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; parent-report version for ages 2–4; and/or parent-report version for ages 4–17), assessed prior to and as soon as possible after participation in the group.	—

Measure

Time frame

Preliminary efficacy of the group intervention, operationalized by: Dyadic coping (DCI, Dyadic Coping Inventory), Quality of life of participants minor children (Kiddy-KINDL parent version for ages 3–6, Questionnaire for Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Children; and/or Kid- and Kiddo-KINDL parent version, Questionnaire for Measuring Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents), Depression (PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire), Anxiety (GAD-7, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7), Distress (NCCN Distress-Thermometer, National Comprehensive Cancer Network), Individual coping (Brief COPE, Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced), Psychological difficulties in participants minor children (SDQ-Deu, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; parent-report version for ages 2–4; and/or parent-report version for ages 4–17), assessed prior to and as soon as possible after participation in the group.

—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactChristina Sauer

Universitäres Centrum für Tumorerkrankung (UCT) Frankfurt, Universitätsmedizin Franklfurt

c.sauer@med.uni-frankfurt.de+49

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: May 1, 2026