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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05002842

Implementation of Mind-Body Practices in an Online Community of Caring (CaringBridge)

CaringBridge (CB) is an online health community for people undergoing challenging health journeys. This platform provides an opportunity for individuals and their caregivers to rally support for a loved-one during a health journey. CaringBridge offers the opportunity for expressive writing through journal entries, wellbeing resources, participant health journey stories, and practical scheduling and communication tools to support community, healing, and wellbeing. Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM) is a systemized mind-body approach developed to increase loving acceptance and has been shown to increase resilience in the face of adversity. The aim of this study is to better understand how mind-body practices, like LKM, impact adult CB users

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Key information

Conditions

Cancer Neoplasms Stress

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • English literacy
  • CaringBridge user with an active email address
  • Visitor/Caregiver/Patient on a Cancer Journey (for Phase 2 only)

Exclusion criteria

  • N/A

Treatment and study plan

LovingKindess Meditation

Behavioral

Participants will have access to a recording of a script to guide them through meditation

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Perceived Stress: The Perceived Stress Scale

    Time frame: 3 weeks

    The Perceived Stress Scale is a 10-item scale for measuring one's perception of stress. All 10 items are assessed by asking how often a respondent felt a certain way on a 5-point Likert measure (0 = Never; 4 = Very Often), with a minimum score of 0 and a maximum score of 40. Higher total scores indicate greater perceived stress.

    This will be assessed at baseline and week three, in addition to week six for the deferred arm.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Self-Compassion: The Self-Compassion Scale

    Time frame: 3 weeks

    The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) is a 12-item, shortened version of the original longer 26-item self-compassion scale (range 12-60). The 12-item SCS contains the same higher-order factor structure as the 26-item scale with a general Higher-Order Self-Compassion factor and six second-order factors of Self-Kindness, Self-Judgement, Common Humanity, Isolation, Mindfulness, and Over-Identification. All 12 items are assessed by asking how often a respondent felt a certain way on a 5-point Likert measure (1 =Almost never; 5 =Almost always). Higher SCS scores are associated with psychological well-being and suggest self-compassion might be an important protective factor, fostering emotional resilience.

    This will be assessed at baseline and week three, in addition to week six for the deferred arm.

  2. Change in Compassionate Love: The Compassionate Love for Humanity Scale

    Time frame: 3 weeks

    The Compassionate Love Scale (CLS) is a 21-item measure of the stranger-humanity version of the original CLS designed to measure compassionate love for humanity (range 38-147). Higher CLS scores indicate greater compassionate love for humanity.

    This will be assessed at baseline and week three, in addition to week six for the deferred arm.

  3. Change in Social Support: The Social Connectedness Scale

    Time frame: 3 weeks

    Social connectedness is assessed with 8 items on a 6-point Likert scale (1 = strongly agree through 6 = strongly disagree), with a total range of 8-48. Social connectedness is reverse coded such that high scores indicate higher social connection.

    This will be assessed at baseline and week three, in addition to week six for the deferred arm.

  4. Change in Social Support: The Social Assurance Scale

    Time frame: 3 weeks

    Social assurance is assessed with 8 items on a 6-point Likert scale (1 = strongly agree through 6 = strongly disagree), with a total range of 8-48. Social Assurance is reverse coded such that high scores indicate higher social assurance. This will be assessed at baseline and week three, in addition to week six for the deferred arm.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Minnesota

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2018
Study completion
2018
First posted
Aug 12, 2021
Registry last updated
May 9, 2023

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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