An interventional study of Benefit-finding Writing Activity and Neutral Writing Activity in Quality of Life and Psychological Distress, sponsored by University of Limerick. Completed. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2015-10-06.
Sponsored by University of Limerick · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
A randomised controlled trial that will compare the effects of a brief benefit -finding writing intervention with an active control condition on quality of life and psychological health among informal caregivers.
A double-blind, randomized controlled parallel group study design with an equal 1:1 allocation ratio will be employed. This study will compare the effect of a brief benefit finding writing intervention with a control condition among caregivers. Caregivers currently caring for people with mental and physical disabilities will be randomised into a two-week, a) a benefit writing group or b) a control writing group. Caregivers will complete self-report measures relating to their care-recipient and themselves (e.g., illness type, and sociodemographics) and psychometric measures of benefit finding (primary outcome), psychological distress and quality of life(secondary outcomes). These will be assessed via online software at baseline, immediate post-test and at 3 month follow-up. Additionally, expectations and fidelity indices will be assessed and qualitative commentary on participation experiences gathered.
University of Limerick is the lead sponsor of 56 studies on the registry; 9 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
For two weeks, on six days of their choice, caregivers will be instructed to write about their thoughts and feelings in a diary/ notebook about the benefits of caring.
Behavioral: Benefit-finding Writing Activity
For two weeks, on six days of their choice, caregivers will be instructed to write about a neutral topic.
Behavioral: Neutral Writing Activity
Caregivers will be instructed to write about the benefits of caring, considering things such as improved social relationship, appreciation of life and loved ones, and the positive consequences with respect to these.
The control group will be instructed to write number of things about the weather that day. Although the sentences can be as long or as short as they like, they will be encouraged to try and aim for about 3 or 4 sentences at least.
Benefit Finding (Adapted version of the 17-item Benefit Finding Scale; Antoni et al., 2001)
Used to assess change in benefit-finding levels over the course of the intervention and follow-up
Time frame: Baseline, immediate post-intervention (two weeks), and 3 months
Caregiver Quality of Life (40 item Adult Carer Quality of Life Questionnaire; Joseph, Becker, Elwick, & Silburn, 2012)
This measures quality of life in eight separate domains: support for caring; caring choice; caring stress; money matters; personal growth; sense of value; ability to care; and carer satisfaction. Used to assess change in quality of life levels over the course of the intervention and follow-up
Time frame: Baseline, immediate post-intervention (two weeks), and 3 months
Psychological Distress (Hospital and Anxiety Depression Scale; Zigmond & Snaith, 1983)
Used to assess change in psychological distress levels over the course of the intervention and follow-up, and as a moderator
Time frame: Baseline, immediate post-intervention (two weeks), and 3 months
No study locations are listed for this record.
This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2015. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of Limerick