An interventional study of Expressive Helping in Neoplasms and Cancer, sponsored by New York University. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-12-03.
Sponsored by New York University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
This study examines the feasibility, cultural-sensitivity, and health effects of the expressive helping intervention by conducting a single-arm trial with Chinese-speaking cancer patients and survivors.
This study examines whether expressive helping is feasible and culturally-sensitive for Chinese American cancer patients and survivors. For 20 minutes each week over four weeks, participants choose to write or voice-record their thoughts about cancer by following specific prompts designed to help them process their cancer experiences. During the last week of this reflection exercise, participants write or voice-record an anonymous letter to another Chinese cancer patient by sharing their cancer experience and providing advice and encouragement. Health outcomes are assessed at baseline, 1-month, and 3-month follow-ups. A subset of the participants will be invited to share their experiences with the study through qualitative interviews after the last writing/voice-recording session. This research study provides an opportunity for Chinese American cancer patients and survivors to express their feelings without the fear of burdening others, and give them an opportunity to help others by sharing their cancer experiences.
9,365 studies on the registry are indexed under Neoplasms; 2,489 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 60 is above the median of 50 across 7,253 interventional studies indexed under Neoplasms.
Browse Neoplasms studies →New York University is the lead sponsor of 120 studies on the registry; 32 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Participants complete four 20-minute writing/voice-recording sessions spaced one week apart. During the first week, the instructions will explain that cancer patients and survivors benefit from learning about other cancer survivors' experiences. They are told that the first three weeks of writing/voice-recording (writing/talking about their stress and coping at Week 1, deepest emotions about cancer at Week 2, self-affirmation and benefit finding at Week 3) are exercises designed to help them think about their cancer experiences and to prepare them to write/record the narrative they would share on Week 4. During Week 4, they are asked to write/record a narrative as if they are speaking to another Chinese person with cancer, adding advice and encouragements, and reminded that their writing/recording would be shared with other Chinese American cancer patients and survivors.
Behavioral: Expressive Helping
Expressive helping harnesses the benefits of helping others (e.g., support giving) through writing or voice-recording. Expressive helping integrates two distinct areas of research showing that writing or speaking about ones' negative experiences and engaging in support giving behaviors can improve psychological well-being.
Number of participants screened
The number of participants screened for eligibility will be counted.
Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Compliance rate
Compliance rate is calculated by dividing the number of writing/voice-recording sessions finished by the number of sessions assigned.
Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Retention rate
Retention rate is calculated by dividing the number of participants who began the study by the number of participants who finished the entire study.
Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year
Meaningfulness of the study
We will ask participants open-ended questions about whether they felt participating in this study was meaningful to them.
Time frame: This will be assessed approximately four weeks after the baseline
Change in quality of life as assessed by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale (FACT).
The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale (FACT) is a 27-item measure of health-related quality of life (Cella \& Tulsky,1993). This scale assesses contains four different subscales, including physical well-being (7 items), social well-being (7 items), emotional well-being (6 items), and functional well-being (7 items).
Time frame: Baseline; 1-month follow-up; 3-month follow-up
Change in depressive symptoms as assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D).
The CES-D (Radloff, 1977) is a 20-item measure of depressive symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline; 1-month follow-up; 3-month follow-up
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
This study is completed, as verified in Mar 2021. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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New York University