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NCT Number: NCT03945734

Expressive Helping for Chinese-Speaking Cancer Patients and Survivors

This study examines the feasibility, cultural-sensitivity, and health effects of the expressive helping intervention by conducting a single-arm trial with Chinese-speaking cancer patients and survivors.

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Key information

Conditions

Neoplasms Cancer

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

New York University

New York, 10003, United States

About this study

This study examines whether expressive helping is feasible and culturally-sensitive for Chinese American cancer patients and survivors. For 20 minutes each week over four weeks, participants choose to write or voice-record their thoughts about cancer by following specific prompts designed to help them process their cancer experiences. During the last week of this reflection exercise, participants write or voice-record an anonymous letter to another Chinese cancer patient by sharing their cancer experience and providing advice and encouragement. Health outcomes are assessed at baseline, 1-month, and 3-month follow-ups. A subset of the participants will be invited to share their experiences with the study through qualitative interviews after the last writing/voice-recording session. This research study provides an opportunity for Chinese American cancer patients and survivors to express their feelings without the fear of burdening others, and give them an opportunity to help others by sharing their cancer experiences.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of cancer (any type)
  • Of Chinese descent
  • Over the age of 18
  • Can speaking and read Mandarin Chinese

Exclusion criteria

  • Completed primary cancer treatment more than five years ago

Treatment and study plan

Expressive Helping

Behavioral

Expressive helping harnesses the benefits of helping others (e.g., support giving) through writing or voice-recording. Expressive helping integrates two distinct areas of research showing that writing or speaking about ones' negative experiences and engaging in support giving behaviors can improve psychological well-being.

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of participants screened

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    The number of participants screened for eligibility will be counted.

  2. Compliance rate

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    Compliance rate is calculated by dividing the number of writing/voice-recording sessions finished by the number of sessions assigned.

  3. Retention rate

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    Retention rate is calculated by dividing the number of participants who began the study by the number of participants who finished the entire study.

  4. Meaningfulness of the study

    Time frame: This will be assessed approximately four weeks after the baseline

    We will ask participants open-ended questions about whether they felt participating in this study was meaningful to them.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in quality of life as assessed by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale (FACT).

    Time frame: Baseline; 1-month follow-up; 3-month follow-up

    The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale (FACT) is a 27-item measure of health-related quality of life (Cella & Tulsky,1993). This scale assesses contains four different subscales, including physical well-being (7 items), social well-being (7 items), emotional well-being (6 items), and functional well-being (7 items).

  2. Change in depressive symptoms as assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D).

    Time frame: Baseline; 1-month follow-up; 3-month follow-up

    The CES-D (Radloff, 1977) is a 20-item measure of depressive symptoms.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

New York University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Feasibility of Expressive Helping for Chinese-Speaking Cancer Patients and Survivors

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2020
First posted
May 10, 2019
Registry last updated
Dec 3, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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