ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Comparing Targets of Expressive Writing

Study Overview

This clinical trial focuses on testing the efficacy of different digital interventions to promote re-engagement in cancer-related long-term follow-up care for adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of childhood cancer.

Description

Expressive writing involves writing about one's deepest thoughts and feelings surrounding an emotional event. The current literature on the efficacy of expressive writing is mixed and warrants further investigation into how, when, and for whom expressive writing is an effective intervention. The goal of this study is to compare the efficacy of expressive writing interventions in young adults when people imagine that they're writing to themselves vs. a loved one. Participants will carry out an expressive writing exercise for 14 consecutive days. Participants are randomized into 3 groups: Self, Other, and Control. The Self group is instructed to write as if they were talking to themselves. The Other group is instructed to direct their writing to someone they feel close to. The Control group is asked to write down a factual description of their routine that day, and direct this writing to themselves. We will recruit participants until we have usable data from 53 participants per group (i.e., 159 in total).

Official Title

Comparing Targets of Expressive Writing

Quick Facts

Study Start:2023-11-10
Study Completion:2025-09
Study Type:Not specified
Phase:Not Applicable
Enrollment:Not specified
Status:ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Study ID

NCT06130020

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Ages Eligible for Study:18 Years to 25 Years
Sexes Eligible for Study:ALL
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:Yes
Standard Ages:ADULT
Inclusion CriteriaExclusion Criteria
  1. * US-based
  2. * Fluent English
  3. * Combined GAD-7 and PHQ-8 score of ≥ 5
  1. * "Completion" of a writing session requires participants to spend at least 15 minutes on the writing page. We will monitor completion of the daily writing exercise, and will contact participants who miss or spend less than 15 minutes on the exercise. Participants who fail to complete 3 consecutive daily writing sessions will be deemed non-compliant, removed from the study, and paid a prorated amount for the tasks they have completed in the study.

Contacts and Locations

Principal Investigator

Erik Nook, PhD
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Princeton University

Study Locations (Sites)

Peretsman Scully Hall
Princeton, New Jersey, 08540
United States

Collaborators and Investigators

Sponsor: Trustees of Princeton University

  • Erik Nook, PhD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Princeton University

Study Record Dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates

Study Start Date2023-11-10
Study Completion Date2025-09

Study Record Updates

Study Start Date2023-11-10
Study Completion Date2025-09

Terms related to this study

Keywords Provided by Researchers

  • expressive writing
  • journaling
  • mental health

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

  • Healthy
  • Anxiety
  • Depression