ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT07454460Updated Nov 3, 2026

AYA-PeerConnect: A Communication Coaching Intervention for Adolescent/Young Adult Cancer Survivors (AYACS)

An interventional study of Asynchronous coaching and artificial intelligence (AI) Yoodli coach sessions in Communication, Anxiety and Depression, sponsored by Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 35 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-03.

Sponsored by Milton S. Hershey Medical Center · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care

Updated Nov 3, 2026Now CompletedStudy completion moved+1 moreGo to Updates ↓
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
11
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 35 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This research is being done to test a communication coaching intervention pilot designed to improve communication quality between adolescent/young adult cancer survivors (AYACS) and their friends/peers. The results of the study will help to understand how to best support adolescent/young adult cancer survivors, and may inform the development or future implementation of similar programs for cancer survivor populations.

Read the detailed description

This study is being done to test a communication coaching intervention designed to improve communication quality between adolescent/young adult cancer survivors (AYACS) and their friends/peers. The results of the study will help to understand how to best support adolescent/young adult cancer survivors, and may inform the development or future implementation of similar programs for cancer survivor populations.

02

Conditions studied

  • Communication
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Social Isolation

Keywords

  • Communication
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Social Isolation
03

In context

Communication

719 studies on the registry are indexed under Communication; 159 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 11 is below the median of 144 across 571 interventional studies indexed under Communication.

Browse Communication studies →

Lead sponsor

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is the lead sponsor of 492 studies on the registry; 60 are open to participants now.

Of its 58 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 46 (79%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 35 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Participant is currently ≥18-35 years old
  • Participant is receiving cancer-directed care at Penn State Cancer Institute or Penn State Children's Hospital
  • Participant has completed all cancer-directed therapy and is at least 1 year from end of cancer treatment (based on date of last cancer-directed treatment)
  • Participant has access to a computer with internet capability
  • Participant is fluent in written and spoken English

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participant is not fluent in written and spoken English
  • Participant with cognitive inability to participant in the study as determined by the study team
  • Participants with history of cancer
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Relapsed and refractory

Relapsed: the illness came back after treatment had worked. Refractory: it did not respond to treatment, or stopped responding while still on it.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
11 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Asynchronous coaching and artificial intelligence (AI) Yoodli coach sessions

    The intervention will use a combination of asynchronous communication coaching sessions, and AI Yoodli coach sessions.

    Behavioral: Asynchronous coaching and artificial intelligence (AI) Yoodli coach sessions

Interventions

  • BehavioralAsynchronous coaching and artificial intelligence (AI) Yoodli coach sessions

    Participants will complete asynchronous individual sessions for Visits 2-4. Each visit will include a 60-minute interactive didactic session using Rise 360 software, with a 20-minute Yoodli AI coaching session (both Rise 360 and Yoodli will be accessed via website). Rise 360 sessions will cover topics related to communication style, multiple goals theory and how to apply concepts learned in being good communicators. Yoodli AI coaching session will be completed for the corresponding Rise 360 session before moving to the next visit's session. The 20-minute Yoodli AI coaching sessions will include coaching from the Yoodli AI coach and practicing various peer conversation situations. These sessions will consolidate and reinforce concepts learned in the didactic sessions. The Yoodli AI coach is programmed with input on relationship style (a communication tool to assess communication style) to deliver personalized coaching.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Intervention Feasibility (Quantitative)

    Quantitative feasibility will be collected based on visit attendance.

    Time frame: Post intervention follow up visit (Up to a month)

  2. Intervention Feasibility (Qualitative)

    Qualitative feasibility data will be collected from post-module mixed methods assessments, and exit interviews and focus groups.

    Time frame: Post intervention follow up visit (Up to a month)

  3. Intervention Acceptability (Quantitative)

    Quantitative acceptability will be collected using an acceptability questionnaire. Quantitative acceptability will be integrated with qualitative data from post-module mixed methods assessments, and exit interviews and focus groups to understand intervention acceptability.

    Time frame: Post intervention follow up visit (Up to a month)

  4. Intervention Acceptability (Qualitative)

    Qualitative acceptability data will be collected from post-module mixed methods assessments, and exit interviews and focus groups.

    Time frame: Post intervention follow up visit (Up to a month)

  5. Communication quality Multiple Goals Score

    Rating process for communication quality analysis (CQA) domains. A domain score is calculated for each of the six communication quality domains (content, emotion, accommodation, engagement, relationship, and face). Using the emotion domain as an example, the neutral score is assigned as a "1," and as participants express emotion (as per the definition above and further detailed in the CQA codebook) the score increases with the highest quality score being "7". A domain score is assigned every five minutes for each of the six domains. The full range for each measure is 6 (most neutral)-42 (highest quality).

    Time frame: Baseline

  6. Communication quality Multiple Goals Score

    Rating process for communication quality analysis (CQA) domains. A domain score is calculated for each of the six communication quality domains (content, emotion, accommodation, engagement, relationship, and face). Using the emotion domain as an example, the neutral score is assigned as a "1," and as participants express emotion (as per the definition above and further detailed in the CQA codebook) the score increases with the highest quality score being "7". A domain score is assigned every five minutes for each of the six domains. The full range for each measure is 6 (most neutral)-42 (highest quality).

    Time frame: Post intervention follow up visit (Up to a month)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Anxiety

    Anxiety will be measured using the Anxiety (Emotional Distress-Anxiety-Short Form 8a) measure from the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). It is an 8-item self-report questionnaire assessing anxiety symptoms over the past 7 days, including fear, tension, and worry. It is scored on a 5-point Likert scale (1=Never, 2=Rarely, 3=Sometimes, 4=Often, 5=Always).

    Time frame: Baseline

  2. Anxiety

    Anxiety will be measured using the Anxiety (Emotional Distress-Anxiety-Short Form 8a) measure from the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). It is an 8-item self-report questionnaire assessing anxiety symptoms over the past 7 days, including fear, tension, and worry. It is scored on a 5-point Likert scale (1=Never, 2=Rarely, 3=Sometimes, 4=Often, 5=Always).

    Time frame: Post intervention follow up visit (Up to a month)

  3. Depression

    Depression will be measured using the Depression (Emotional Distress-Depression-Short Form 8b) measure from the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). It is an 8-item, self-report questionnaire assessing negative mood, views of self, and social cognition over the past seven days. It uses a 5-point scale (1=Never, 5=Always) to measure severity.

    Time frame: Baseline

  4. Depression

    Depression will be measured using the Depression (Emotional Distress-Depression-Short Form 8b) measure from the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). It is an 8-item, self-report questionnaire assessing negative mood, views of self, and social cognition over the past seven days. It uses a 5-point scale (1=Never, 5=Always) to measure severity.

    Time frame: Post intervention follow up visit (Up to a month)

  5. Social isolation

    Social isolation will be measured by the validated Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Social Isolation Form 8a.The PROMIS Social Isolation 8a short form is a 8-item, self-report tool measuring perceived loneliness and detachment from others. It uses a 5-point Likert scale (1=Never to 5=Always) to assess feelings of being avoided, excluded, or disconnected.

    Time frame: Baseline

  6. Social isolation

    Social isolation will be measured by the validated Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Social Isolation Form 8a.The PROMIS Social Isolation 8a short form is a 8-item, self-report tool measuring perceived loneliness and detachment from others. It uses a 5-point Likert scale (1=Never to 5=Always) to assess feelings of being avoided, excluded, or disconnected.

    Time frame: Post intervention follow up visit (Up to a month)

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
    Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, United States
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — Aggregate participant data that underlie the results reported in the study, after de-identification.

Supporting information: Study protocol, Informed consent form

Time frame: 1 years to 3 years following final publication.

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

1 registry update since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from Apr 2026 to primary completion in May 2026, 0 months.

Of 390 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Communication, half reached primary completion within 18 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 36. This study's 0 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 394 studies reached it within 18 months; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 36.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Mar 2, 2026
First posted
Mar 6, 2026
StartActual
Apr 14, 2026
Primary completionActual
May 13, 2026
CompletionActual
Sep 4, 2026
Last update
Nov 3, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
Status
Active, not recruiting→Completed
changed Nov 3, 2026
Study completion
Sep 30, 2026→Sep 4, 2026 (actual)
Nov 3, 2026
Enrollment
10 (estimated)→11 (actual)
Nov 3, 2026
Show all 1 update
  1. Nov 3, 2026
    Active, not recruiting→Completed
    Study completion Sep 30, 2026→Sep 4, 2026 (now actual)
    Enrollment 10 (estimated)→11 (actual)
    + 1 other change: verification date

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07454460
Responsible party
Pooja Rao (Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center) — Principal investigator
First posted
Mar 6, 2026
Start date
Apr 14, 2026
Primary completion
May 13, 2026
Completion
Sep 4, 2026
Last update
Nov 3, 2026

Study contacts

Pooja Rao, MD MSCE
principal investigator · Penn State College of Medicine

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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