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Feasibility Study of the Storytelling Through Music Intervention with Bereaved Parents

NCT06047808 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 23

Last updated 2025-03-13

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The death of a child, at any age, is considered one of the most stressful life events a person can experience. In 2020, 11,050 children (under 15 years), 5,000 adolescents (15-19 years) and 60,000 young adults (20-39 years) were estimated to be diagnosed with cancer in the US. While the five-year survival is better for children than adults, over 10,000 children, adolescents, and young adults die from cancer in the US each year.1 Bereaved parents often experience intense and lasting psychological distress resulting in significantly higher morbidity and mortality compared to non-bereaved parents. Twenty-five percent of bereaved parents report new diagnoses of illnesses including prediabetes, anxiety and sleep disorders. Bereaved parents also experience psychological distress such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and grief-related depressive symptoms that continue to be significant for years after a child's death. A recent study showed that nearly 33% of bereaved parents suffered from prolonged grief five years after their loss.6 Physiologically, studies show increased cortisol, immune, endocrine, and cardio biomarkers in people with prolonged grief. The death of a child can also affect family and social relationships resulting in decreased communication, feelings of isolation, absence of close social relationships and increased marital strain and divorce.

The purpose of this randomized controlled pilot study is to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a six-week multi-dimensional intervention, Storytelling Through Music (STM), with parents of children who have died from cancer. STM combines multiple modalities of expression (storytelling, writing, and music) to facilitate loss- and restoration-oriented coping by creating a legacy piece (self-written story paired with song) to facilitate continuing bonds with the deceased and find meaning.

Conditions

  • Pediatric Cancer
  • Grief
  • Well-Being, Psychological
  • Coping Strategies
  • Bereavement

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Storytelling Through Music

"Storytelling Through Music" is a six-week expressive arts intervention.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Texas at Austin

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Carolyn Phillips, PhD · University of Texas at Austin

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
99 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2023-05-01
Primary Completion
2024-07-30
Completion
2024-07-30

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06047808 on ClinicalTrials.gov