Diabetes Mellitus
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether an arts-based storytelling and narrative medicine workshop series can improve social connection, illness identity, and psychological well-being in adolescents and young adults with chronic illness, specifically diabetes. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does participation in a narrative-based storytelling workshop improve social connectedness and peer support among adolescents and young adults with diabetes? * Does engagement in creative arts and reflective storytelling support identity formation, self-expression, and emotional well-being in this population? Participants will be 16-25 years old and recruited through the UCSF Pediatric Diabetes Clinic. Individuals must be able to participate in group workshops and complete surveys and interviews related to the study. Participants will: * Attend eight weekly workshops centered on storytelling, reflection, and creative expression * Engage in narrative medicine activities, including writing, storytelling, drawing, and facilitated reflection * Participate in group discussions focused on personal experiences with chronic illness * Complete pre- and post-intervention surveys assessing psychosocial outcomes such as social connectedness, illness identity, self-concept, and mental well-being * Participate in interviews and reflective exercises about their experiences in the program This study aims to explore the role of narrative medicine and arts-based interventions in supporting adolescents and young adults with chronic illness and assess their potential benefits as a supplement to standard medical care.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALArts-Based Storytelling Workshop Series
The Arts-Based Storytelling Workshop Series is a structured eight-week behavioral intervention designed to enhance self-expression, social connection, emotional reflection, and psychological well-being in adolescents and young adults with diabetes. This intervention differs from traditional educational or counseling approaches by integrating creative expression, guided reflection, and group dialogue as therapeutic tools. Each weekly session includes: -Engagement with written, visual, or artistic prompts centered on themes such as identity, resilience, relationships, coping, uncertainty, and growth in the context of chronic illness -Facilitated group discussion and sharing designed to promote peer support, emotional processing, and a sense of community among participants - Creative exercises in response to structured prompts, including writing, storytelling, drawing, or other expressive activities that support personal reflection
Sponsors
University of California, San Francisco
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
16 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Participants must be patients at the UCSF Pediatric Diabetes Clinic * Participants must have a self-reported diagnosis of diabetes * Participants must be between 16-25 years old * The participant and/or caregiver(s) must be English-speaking
Exclusion criteria
* Participants unable to attend the first session
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Participant retention and attendance | Throughout intervention (Weeks 1-8), assessed immediately post-intervention (Week 8) | Feasibility will be assessed by tracking the number of participants who attend each of the 8 weekly sessions, including overall completion of the program. |
| Participant satisfaction | Immediately post-intervention (Week 8) | Acceptability will be assessed using post-intervention satisfaction questionnaires with 5-point Likert-scale items and semi-structured individual interviews. Measures will evaluate perceived relevance of workshop content, usefulness of creative prompts, quality of group discussion, and facilitation experience. Scale title: Intervention Satisfaction Questionnaire (ISQ) Minimum value: 1 (Strongly Disagree) Maximum value: 5 (Strongly Agree) Interpretation: Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction with the intervention. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Illness identity | Pre-intervention (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 8) | Assessed using the Illness Identity Questionnaire, which evaluates how individuals integrate a chronic illness into their sense of self. Scores reflect different illness identity orientations, with higher scores indicating stronger endorsement of the corresponding identity state. Scale title: Illness Identity Questionnaire (IIQ) Minimum value: 1 (Strongly Disagree) Maximum value: 5 (Strongly Agree) Interpretation: Subscale scores reflect distinct illness identity states; higher scores indicate greater endorsement of that identity orientation |
| Social connectedness | Pre-intervention (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 8) | Measured using the Social Connectedness Scale (SCS), which assesses perceived closeness to others and sense of belonging. Scale title: Social Connectedness Scale (SCS) Minimum value: 1 (Strongly Disagree) Maximum value: 6 (Strongly Agree) Interpretation: Higher scores indicate greater feelings of social connectedness and belonging. |
| Self-reported well-being | Pre-intervention (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 8) | Measured using the WHO-5 is a self-report instrument measuring mental well-being. Scale title: Psychosocial functioning scale (PFQ) Minimum value: 0 (At no time) Maximum value: 5 (All of the time) Interpretation: Higher scores indicate greater well-being. |
| Self-esteem | Pre-intervention (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 8) | Measured using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), which assesses global self-worth, self-worth and self-acceptance. Scale Minimum value: 1 (Strongly agree) Maximum value: 4 (Strongly disagree) Interpretation: Higher total scores indicating more positive self-esteem. |
| Qualitative themes from interviews and group reflections | Pre-intervention (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 8) | Semi-structured interviews will explore participant experiences of identity development, meaning-making, peer support, and emotional processing. Transcripts will be analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and narrative themes related to chronic illness experience and psychosocial adaptation. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORAnoushka Sinha, MD, MS
University of California, San Francisco
STUDY_CHAIRLina Lew, BS
University of California, San Francisco
STUDY_CHAIRCalis Lim, BS
Rosalind Franklin University
Outcome results
None listed