An interventional study of ROCKS and Usual Care in Advanced Cancer and End of Life, sponsored by University of Illinois at Chicago. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-09.
Sponsored by University of Illinois at Chicago · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
The aims of this study are to (1) assess the feasibility, acceptability, and usability of the ROCKS intervention among patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers through a randomized controlled trial in a cancer center setting; (2) evaluate the preliminary efficacy of ROCKS, as compared to usual care, on changes in completion of advance directives; and (3) explore the dyadic effects of resilience on self-efficacy, optimism, dyadic communication and coping, anxiety, and depression using an actor-partner interdependence model.
Patients with advanced cancer have not fully benefited from advance care planning due to the high levels of anxiety and depression experienced and other barriers that affect their appraisals and coping. Despite the protective effects of resilience, there have been few clinical trials improving the resilience skills of patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers to help initiate advance care planning discussions and sustain engagement. This research evaluates the impact of a web-based resilience-building intervention called ROCKS on enhancing the completion of advance directives, as well as improving resilience, coping, anxiety, and depression among patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers.
Exclusion Criteria:
Participants assigned to this arm will receive a web-based resilience-building intervention.
Behavioral: ROCKS
Participants assigned to this arm will receive an advance directive called Five Wishes.
Behavioral: Usual Care
The intervention will be provided to participants to strengthen optimism, communication skills, knowledge, and self-efficacy to support patients and family caregivers in engaging in advance care planning discussions.
An advance directive called Five Wishes will be provided to participants to increase their knowledge about advance care planning.
Completion of advance directives
Completion of Five Wishes
Time frame: Week 8
Resilience
Assessed using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (Range: 0-100; higher scores indicate a greater level of resilience)
Time frame: Week 8
Optimism
Assessed using the Revised Compound PsyCap Scale (Range: 3-18; higher scores indicate a greater level of optimism)
Time frame: Week 8
Dyadic communication and coping
Assessed using the Dyadic Coping Inventory (Range: 35-175; higher scores indicate greater perceived communication and dyadic coping)
Time frame: Week 8
Knowledge
Assessed using the Advance Care Planning Engagement Survey (Range: 2-10; Higher scores indicate a greater knowledge of advance care planning)
Time frame: Week 8
Self-efficacy
Assessed using the Advance Care Planning Engagement Survey (Range: 12-50; Higher scores indicate greater self-efficacy in advance care planning)
Time frame: Week 8
Anxiety
Assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (Range: 0-21; Higher scores indicate higher levels of anxiety)
Time frame: Week 8
Depression
Assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (Range: 0-27; Higher scores indicate higher levels of depression)
Time frame: Week 8
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
Contact study teamGet an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
University of Illinois at Chicago