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NCT Number: NCT05510635

The Effectiveness of Bibliotherapy on Emotional Distress, Coping Strategies and Resilience of Adolescents With Cancer

Adolescents with cancer who were diagnosed within two years suffered severe emotional distress. Bibliotherapy therapy uses healing materials as a medium to enable individuals experiencing emotional distress to obtain emotional healing through story situations, thereby enhancing resilience. However, there is a lack of research on bibliotherapy in adolescents with cancer. Therefore, the investigators would like to evaluate the effectiveness of interactive bibliotherapy in improving emotional distress and coping strategies and enhancing the resilience of adolescents with cancer compared to reading bibliotherapy.

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Key information

Conditions

Emotional Distress Neoplasms Pediatric Cancer

Age range

10 year–19 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

Taipei, 11221, Taiwan

About this study

A multicenter randomized controlled trial will be conducted. Adolescents aged 10 to 19 years and diagnosed with cancer or relapse during the first two years will be included in the study. Seventy participants from three medical centers in northern Taiwan will be assigned to experimental or comparison groups through blocked randomization. The experimental group will receive the interactive bibliotherapy twice, and the comparison group will receive the reading bibliotherapy twice. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Pediatric Cancer Coping Scale, and Haase Adolescent Resilience in Illness Scale will be used to measure participants' emotional distress, coping strategies and resilience at the time points of pre-intervention, after the intervention, and follow-up for a month after the intervention. An interview will be conducted over the intervention for a month. The generalized estimating equation will be used to analyze the two groups' emotional distress, coping strategies, and resilience. The content analysis will be performed to analyze the interview data. It is hoped that the results of this study can prove that bibliotherapy has the potential to improve emotional distress and coping strategies and enhance resilience in adolescents with cancer. This study is expected to provide health providers with novel evidence on the effectiveness of an intervention to take care of patients with cancer. Furthermore, this study provides an interdisciplinary intervention of nursing and other domain, and it may be extended to further research to improve patient care quality through cross-disciplinary coordination.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Adolescents aged 10 to 19 years.
  • Adolescents were diagnosed with leukemia or osteosarcoma.
  • Adolescents were diagnosed with cancer or relapsed during the first two years.
  • Adolescents who have received cancer treatment.
  • Adolescents who can read picture books and communicate with Chinese.

Exclusion criteria

  • Adolescents who have psychiatric history.

Treatment and study plan

interactive bibliotherapy

Other

The researcher selected two picture books whose central issues are about the common emotional distress of adolescents with cancer, that is, negative emotion coping, and self-worth. The researcher will read the story to the participant and then use the interview guideline to discuss it with him or her one by one. The interview guideline for interactive bibliotherapy is listed according to the mechanism of bibliotherapy, including identification, catharsis, and insight, and additional questions leading a reader to think deeply.

reading bibliotherapy

Other

The researcher selected two picture books whose central issues are about the common emotional distress of adolescents with cancer, that is, negative emotion coping, and self-worth. The participant can take 20 to 25 minutes to read the story. No one can bother the participant during the intervention.

Primary outcomes

  1. emotional distress

    Time frame: Changes from Baseline to Post-Intervention and 1-month follow-up.

    The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule will be used to measure participants' emotional distress. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule is composed of a 20-item questionnaire separated into two subscales, positive and negative affect. Each item is assessed on a 5-point Likert scale, varying from 1 to 5, obtaining total points ranging from 10 to 50 on each subscale. Higher scores suggest higher levels of positive or negative affect.

  2. coping strategies

    Time frame: Changes from Baseline to Post-Intervention and 1-month follow-up.

    The Pediatric Cancer Coping Scale (PCCS) will be used to measure participants' coping strategies. The PCCS is composed of a 33-item questionnaire separated into three subscales, including cognitive coping (14 items), problem-oriented coping (9 items), and defensive coping (10 items). The PCCS is also separated into two parts. The first part of the scale is used to measure the usage frequency of each item, and the second part evaluates the efficacy of each strategy. Each item is assessed on a 4-point Likert scale, varying from 0 to 3. The score for each subscale is calculated by adding all corresponding item scores. Higher scores represent the higher usage frequency of strategies or the more effective coping strategies.

  3. resilience

    Time frame: Changes from Baseline to Post-Intervention and 1-month follow-up.

    The Haase Adolescent Resilience in Illness Scale will be used to measure participants' resilience. The Haase Adolescent Resilience in Illness Scale is composed of a 13-item questionnaire. Each item is assessed on a 6-point Likert scale, varying from 1 to 6, obtaining total points ranging from 13 to 78, with higher scores representing higher resilience.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effectiveness of Bibliotherapy on Improving Emotional Distress and Coping Strategies and Enhancing Resilience of Adolescents With Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Aug 22, 2022
Registry last updated
Sep 21, 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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