Harnessing Generativity Among Young Adult Cancer Survivors

Summary

Short, online interventions designed to enhance well-being may be particularly amenable for use with adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors (age 15-39 at diagnosis), an understudied group in the cancer community. The benefits of psychological well-being on both physical and mental health outcomes are well-known and, in recent years, researchers and policymakers have begun to view the period of adolescence and young adulthood as a window of opportunity to instantiate lasting habits and behaviors. Growing evidence suggests that prosocial behavior-a behavior that can be reliably manipulated through a short online intervention-may have beneficial effects on well-being and physical health. This has yet to be tested in AYA cancer survivors.

Drawing from the literature on positive psychology and prosocial interventions, the proposed study will test the feasibility and efficacy of an 8-week online peer helping intervention designed to increase well-being among AYA cancer survivors. AYA cancer survivors (n = 176) will be recruited and randomized to one of three conditions: a peer helping condition, a cancer-specific writing plus peer helping condition, or a cancer-specific writing condition (control condition). The second group was added in response to a previous study, which found that writing about one's experience prior to helping other survivors may be more beneficial. Participants will complete a weekly writing activity once per week for 4 weeks, with instructions administered via a weekly email. Participants will also complete online assessments before, during, and after the 4-week intervention period.

Conditions

• Cancer
• Young Adults

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Writing for others

Participants will receive general instructions for completing the writing sessions and will be asked to write for at least 20 minutes per session. Topics covered in each session will vary and are related to common cancer-related themes (e.g., receiving a diagnosis, undergoing treatment, etc.). Participants will be instructed not to worry about grammar, spelling, or sentence structure and reminded that their responses will remain anonymous. Writing sessions (four in total) will be spaced 1 week apart, and participants will be instructed to write about their experience for the benefit of a newly-diagnosed cancer patient.

BEHAVIORAL

Processing + writing for others

Participants will receive general instructions for completing the writing sessions and will be asked to write for at least 20 minutes per session. Topics covered in each session will vary and are related to common cancer-related themes (e.g., receiving a diagnosis, undergoing treatment, etc.). Participants will be instructed not to worry about grammar, spelling, or sentence structure and reminded that their responses will remain anonymous. Writing sessions (four in total) will be spaced 1 week apart. For the first three writing sessions, participants will write their deepest thoughts and feelings regarding cancer diagnosis and treatment. In the final writing session, participants will be instructed to write about their experience for the benefit of a newly-diagnosed cancer patient.

BEHAVIORAL

Facts-only writing

Participants will receive general instructions for completing the writing sessions and will be asked to write for at least 20 minutes per session. Topics covered in each session will vary and are related to common cancer-related themes (e.g., receiving a diagnosis, undergoing treatment, etc.). Participants will be instructed not to worry about grammar, spelling, or sentence structure and reminded that their responses will remain anonymous. Writing sessions (four in total) will be spaced 1 week apart. Unlike the previous conditions, participants will not be instructed to write about their experience for the benefit of a newly-diagnosed cancer patient.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, Los Angeles

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

39 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-08-17

Primary Completion

2021-04-07

Completion

2021-04-07

Countries

• United States

Study Locations