Expressive Writing with Cancer Patients

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of this project is to enhance the quality of life and survivorship experiences of cancer patients through evaluation of an expressive writing intervention within a randomized trail. Strong support for the efficacy of expressive writing interventions with both healthy and medically ill populations suggests its utility for application within an oncology setting. Expressive writing is a very brief, cost-effective treatment approach that can serve as an attractive alternative for patients not interested in attending lengthy group programs. A randomized clinical trail with 165 cancer patients will be conducted. Participants will be recruited from Hollings Cancer Center and randomized to one of three conditions: expressive writing intervention, social cognitive intervention, or standard care. Randomization will occur after stratification of demographic characteristics including disease type, age, and gender. Study outcomes of psychological and selfreported physical functioning will be assessed at enrollment, treatment completion, and 2 and 6 months following intervention completion. Outcomes include: quality of life, health functioning, emotional processing and expression, benefit-finding, and mood. The effect of treatment on quality of life and health functioning will be determined by analysis of co-variance, controlling for pre-test scores as well as relevant demographic characteristics. If expressive writing improves psychological and/or physical functioning, it can serve as a cost-effective, brief, psychological treatment that improves cancer patients' quality of life.