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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05595382

Motivations to Transplant Registry Participation

The current study seeks to understand factors that influence college students' likelihood of participating the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)/Be the Match for bone marrow and stem cell donations. The secondary aim is to compare emotional and rational approaches to encouraging participation in the registry and how these approaches may impact intentions to participate in the NMDP.

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Key information

Conditions

Healthy Altruism Behavior Social Behavior

Age range

18 year–35 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Rutgers University Camden

Camden, New Jersey, 08102, United States

About this study

This study is a randomized controlled trial that will randomize participants to receive either an emotional appeal about a child with cancer who needs a bone marrow transplant or a rational appeal using data on the racial/ethnic disparities within the transplant registry.

Participants will be recruited through the Psychology Subject Pool, which will then link students to the study measures in an online survey. Participants will be asked their age to confirm eligibility to participate (students must be between 18-35), and eligible students will be presented with the consent form through the online survey system. Participants will then be asked to complete measures of demographic information, personality/psychological characteristics, and transplant-related knowledge, intentions, and attitudes. All participants will then be given background information on bone marrow transplants.

Randomization: Students will be randomized by sex in the online survey system to the emotional presentation condition or the rational presentation condition. The emotional condition will tell the story of a fictional pediatric patient with cancer who needs a transplant. The rational condition will describe the facts about the need for diversity in the registry.

After being presented with the rational or emotional appeal, participants will again be asked about their intentions to register, their motivations for registering, and their mood.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Rutgers Camden Students enrolled in Psych 101 and Method and Theory
  • Between the ages of 18-35

Exclusion criteria

  • Students under 18 years of age or over 36 or older will be excluded.

Treatment and study plan

Emotional Appeal

Behavioral

Participants will be presented with a short vignette about a child undergoing cancer treatment and needing a bone marrow transplant in order to survive cancer.

Rational Appeal

Behavioral

Participants will be presented with data regarding the importance of considering race/ethnicity when looking for a bone marrow transplant donor and the likelihood of finding a match based on the patient's racial/ethnic background.

Primary outcomes

  1. Intention to Register

    Time frame: Baseline and after the experimental manipulation (Post-Intervention)

    Participants rated the likelihood of registering on a 1-7 scale with higher scores indicating greater intention to join the registry (better outcome). Participants were asked these questions before (baseline) and after (post-intervention) the experimental manipulation.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Mood

    Time frame: Baseline and after experimental manipulation (Post-Intervention)

    Participant mood was assessed on a 1-10 scale, with higher scores indicating a better mood. Participants were asked these questions before (baseline) and after (post-intervention) the experimental manipulation.

  2. Psychosocial and Demographic Correlates of Intentions to Register--Knowledge

    Time frame: Baseline

    Participants completed a knowledge measure about bone marrow and stem cell transplant donation using true/false statements about transplant donation that was examined as a correlate of their intentions to register with the transplant registry. The measure was scored as a percent of items answered correctly, higher scores indicating better knowledge.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Motivations for Stem Cell Transplant Registry Participation

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Oct 27, 2022
Registry last updated
Apr 18, 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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