Health Benefits of Writing Therapy Among Asian American Cancer Survivors
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Summary
To learn more about participant experience as a Asian American immigrant breast cancer survivor and how writing about participant experiences may affect participant's health.
Description
Primary Objective: To determine the effects of writing therapy on QOL and perceived stress at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Secondary Objective: To discover the effects of writing therapy on stress biomarkers and perceived stress at the 3-month follow-up. To explore the psychosocial and cultural mechanisms responsible for the benefits of writing therapy by using mixed methods.
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Adult (aged 18 and older) diagnosed with stage 0-III cancer (or acute leukemia in remission/ chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase). * Self-identified as Asian, Asian Americans, any Asian or Asian American subgroup (Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, Korean, etc.) ethnic/cultural background * Completed primary treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapy within the preceding 5 years. * Comfortable reading in English or in Chinese. Exclusion Criteria: \- Inability to provide informed consent.
Interventions
- BehavioralEsays
Participants will write about their experiences One (1) time each week for 3 weeks at the beginning of the study and then 1 more time 9 months later. Participants will be asked to write about their experiences with cancer in English or Chinese and to write as much as they can for about 20-30 minutes for each essay.
- BehavioralQuestionnaires
Participants will answer a questionnaire at the beginning of the study and then 3, 6, and 12 months later. Participants will also answer a questionnaire about their thoughts on writing and on the study after they complete the third essay.
Location
- MD Anderson Cancer CenterHouston, Texas