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Completed

NCT Number: NCT00251420

Writing About Disease: Effect on Rehabilitation?

Therapeutic writing about one's emotions has been described previously (J Pennebaker: Emotions, disclosure and health. Am Psychol. Assoc 1995). The present project will compare the effects (if any) of writing about the emotional versus the physical consequences of lung disease on anxiety, perceived quality of life, and perceived health status.

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Key information

Conditions

COPD Asthma Bronchial Diseases Chronic Disease Disease Attributes Hypersensitivity Hypersensitivity, Immediate Immune System Diseases Lung Diseases Lung Diseases, Obstructive Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive Respiratory Hypersensitivity Respiratory Tract Diseases

Age range

20 year–70 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Glittreklinikken

Hakadal, Akershus, 1485, Norway

About this study

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients (age 35-70) and asthma patients (age 20-60) referred to a 4 weeks inpatient rehabilitation program - who agree to participate in the project - are randomly assigned to one of three conditions:

  • Writing about emotional consequences of their disease before the program starts
  • Writing about physical consequences of their disease before the program starts
  • Not writing

All patients are measured (completing questionnaires at home) on: perceived quality of life, perceived health status and trait anxiety - 2 weeks before the program, 2 weeks after the program and 6 months after the program. FEV1 and 6 min walking distance are measured at the beginning and by the end of the program.

In addition to questionnaires, all patients are asked to:

  • Write in their own words ( 2 weeks after) to evaluate their stay at the rehabilitation clinic; and
  • Write in their own words (6 months after) about how the disease affects their life at that point.

Both quantitative and qualitative data will be used for analysis purposes.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Clinical diagnosis of COPD (age between 35 and 70)
  • Clinical diagnosis of asthma (age between 20 and 60)

Treatment and study plan

writing about disease

Procedure

writing about physical or emotional consequences of pulmonary disease

Primary outcomes

  1. Quality of life

    Time frame: prospective

  2. Perceived health status

    Time frame: prospective

  3. Trait anxiety

    Time frame: prospective

Secondary outcomes

  1. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)

    Time frame: prospective

  2. 6-minute walking distance

    Time frame: prospective

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

LHL Helse

Other

Collaborators

  • The norwegian association for heart and lung patients

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2005
Study completion
2007
First posted
Nov 10, 2005
Registry last updated
May 7, 2009

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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