Skip to content

The Effectiveness of an Online Support Group in Enhancing Recovery Identity and Health-Related Quality of Life

Understanding the Effectiveness of an Online Support Group in Enhancing Recovery Identity and Health-Related Quality of Life of Middle-aged and Older Ovarian Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06145295
Enrollment
68
Registered
2023-11-24
Start date
2023-06-01
Completion date
2023-11-01
Last updated
2023-11-24

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

Conditions

Ovarian Cancer

Brief summary

Background Ovarian cancer poses challenges for middle-aged and older patients, impacting physical and self-conceptual aspects. A research gap exists on the impact of online support groups (SPs) on identity synthesis and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) for these patients. Objective To assess the feasibility and efficacy of an online SG in influencing recovery identity and HRQOL in middle-aged and older ovarian cancer patients (MDOCP). Method A four-week randomized controlled trial, followed by a three-month evaluation, was conducted, employing a mobile online SG and an offline SG both grounded in The Social Identity Model of Identity Change. Recovery identity, HRQOL, and participant engagement were utilized to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of interventions.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALmobile online support group (experiment group)

The experimental group engaged with the mobile application use for four weeks, with specific tasks including completing the four mandatory courses within one month and submitting at least two health records and online posts every week.

BEHAVIORALoffline support group (control group)

The control group participates in the offline group intervention that last for four weeks. Participants in the control group will participant in four weekly workshop that last between 1 hour to 1.5 hours.

Sponsors

Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
45 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Older than 44 years old * diagnosis of ovarian cancer * expected survival time of greater than four months * fluent in using smartphones and the WeChat mini program * normal cognitive function * capability to participate in follow-up surveys.

Exclusion criteria

* were currently participating in or had previously participated in other mental treatment groups * had been diagnosed with any other type of cancer.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Illness identityData collection occurred at three time points: before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and at a three-month follow-upThe acceptance of illness identity was measured using the Illness Identity Questionnaire's acceptance sub-scale, consisting of 6 items (Oris et al., 2016).
Maintenance of identityData collection occurred at three time points: before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and at a three-month follow-upThe maintenance of former social identities was measured using the Maintenance of Group Memberships sub-scale of Exeter Identity Transition Scales (Haslam et al., 2008), encompassing 4 items.
New identityData collection occurred at three time points: before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and at a three-month follow-upThe new meaningful social identity was measured using the New Group Memberships sub-scale of the Exeter Identity Transition Scales, which includes 4 questions. Responses were rated on a scale from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating a higher level of acceptance of the identity.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Health related quality of lifeData collection occurred at three time points: before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and at a three-month follow-upHealth related quality of life was measured using the Short Form Health Survey 12 (SF-12) (Jakobusson, 2007), which includes twelve questions. Each item is transformed into a scale ranging from 0 to 100 according to a specific scoring algorithm. These scores are then aggregated to generate two summary scores: the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and the Mental Component Summary (MCS). The resulting scores are norm-based, comparing an individual's health status to population norms. Health related quality of life is calculate as the summary of PCS and MCS. Higher scores indicate better health related quality of life, with scores around 50 representing the average.

Countries

China

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026