Expressive Writing and Adjustment to Metastatic Breast Cancer

We are doing this study to see if writing about life experiences helps women adjust to breast cancer that has spread. We will compare two groups. One group will write about their breast cancer experience. The other will write about their daily activities. What we learn from this study may help us to find new ways to help women cope with breast cancer that has spread.

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Key information

Conditions

Metastatic Breast Cancer Breast Diseases Breast Neoplasms Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Skin Diseases Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

New York, 10065, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

Women with Stage IV breast cancer
Receiving cancer care at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
At least 18 years of age
Can speak, read, and write in English
In the judgment of consenting professionals able to provide informed consent
Score of 4 or higher on the distress thermometer (established cutoff score for probable distress; see Jacobsen et al., 2005)

Exclusion criteria

Significant psychiatric or cognitive impairment (dementia/delirium, retardation, psychosis) that in the judgment of the investigators will preclude providing informed consent and participating in the intervention
Currently engaging in expressive writing (e.g., journal writing that involves expressing one's feelings) on a daily basis
Currently participating in intervention trials with similar endpoints • Male

Treatment and study plan

Writing Intervention

Behavioral

Participants in the emotional disclosure condition will be instructed to write continuously for 20 minutes about their deepest thoughts and feelings regarding their cancer experience.

Other names: Over four sessions, I want you to write about your experience with cancer. In your writing, I, want you to really let go and explore your very deepest emotions and thoughts. It is critical that you, delve deeply.

Primary outcomes

Determine the potential utility of expressive writing for enhancing existential well-being (i.e., increasing a sense of meaning and peace and reducing demoralization) among women with metastatic breast cancer.

Time frame: conclusion of the study

Secondary outcomes

Determine the potential utility of expressive writing for reducing distress (i.e., depressive symptoms, anxiety, cancer-specific and general distress) among women with metastatic breast cancer.

Time frame: conclusion of the study

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Other

Collaborators

Indiana University
National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2008
Primary completion: 2012
Study completion: 2012
First posted: Feb 26, 2008
Registry last updated: Oct 30, 2015

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.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed