Expressive Helping for Chinese-Speaking Cancer Patients and Survivors

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Detailed Description
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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.

Official Title
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Feasibility of Expressive Helping for Chinese-Speaking Cancer Patients and Survivors

Conditions
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Neoplasms, Cancer

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Expressive Helping


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Diagnosis of cancer (any type) Of Chinese descent Over the age of 18 Can speaking and read Mandarin Chinese Exclusion Criteria: Completed primary cancer treatment more than five years ago

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Expressive Helping<br>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<br>* 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.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Number of participants screened | The number of participants screened for eligibility will be counted. | 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. | 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. | 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. | This will be assessed approximately four weeks after the baseline | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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). | 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. | Baseline; 1-month follow-up; 3-month follow-up |