Social Media Perceptions Among Young Adults With Cancer - Aim 1: Interviews

November 4, 2026 updated by: UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

This study used one-on-one interviews to understand young adults' with cancer positive and negative in-person social interactions and thoughts about social media messages that encourage in-person interactions with people they barely know. Young adults with cancer (ages 22-39) shared their reactions to mock social media posts and images and described recent in-person interactions with strangers and acquaintances to inform the design of intervention messages, personal stories, and behavioral tips.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Participants completed a single, 60-minute semi-structured interview on Zoom following a standardized guide in three parts: 1) sharing a recent positive experience; 2) describing recent in-person interactions with acquaintances and with strangers, including emotional responses, comfort, and experiences discussing their cancer; and 3) reviewing and giving feedback on three image sets (peers experiencing loneliness, peers experiencing connectedness, and spaces where connection could occur) and two mock intervention messages shown as social media posts with a personal story, intervention text, and behavioral tips.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
33

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599
        • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Radiation Oncology

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

22 years to 39 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Participants diagnosed with cancer at ages 15-39 who are currently ages 22-39.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participants must be 22-39 years old
  • Participants must have received a cancer diagnosis at ages 15-39
  • Participants must also receive treatment at adult oncology facilities
  • Participants must also use social media

Exclusion Criteria:

  • None

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: COHORT
  • Time Perspectives: PROSPECTIVE

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Participants joined semi-structured interview

All participants completed a 60-minute semi-structured interview on Zoom, describing recent in-person interactions with strangers and acquaintances and giving feedback on image sets and mock social media intervention messages.
Behavioral: Semi-structured interview

60-minute semi-structured interview with review of three image sets (loneliness, connectedness, spaces) and two mock intervention messages (connected peer general story, lonely peer cancer story).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Themes in Reactions to Mock Intervention Messages and Images (Semi-Structured Interview Guide; Thematic Analysis)
Time Frame: Baseline, During a single 60-minute interview

Using a standardized semi-structured interview guide, participants reviewed three image sets (peers experiencing loneliness, peers experiencing connectedness, and spaces where connection could occur) and two mock intervention messages formatted as social media posts. Participants described what they liked most and least, what caught their attention, whether the images and posts conveyed their intended meaning, and whether the posts might motivate in-person interactions. Interviews were audio-recorded and professionally transcribed. Two coders independently coded each transcript using a thematic analysis framework with an a priori codebook (refined after initial coding), and disagreements were resolved by consensus.
Baseline, During a single 60-minute interview

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Themes in In-Person Interactions With Strangers and Acquaintances (Semi-Structured Interview Guide; Thematic Analysis)
Time Frame: Baseline, During a single 60-minute interview

Using a standardized semi-structured interview guide, participants described recent in-person interactions with acquaintances and with strangers (asked separately), including where the interaction occurred, how it made them feel, situations that made them comfortable, and experiences discussing their cancer. Transcripts were coded for positive and negative social interactions using the same thematic analysis approach. Themes were used to inform intervention message themes, personal stories, and behavioral tips.
Baseline, During a single 60-minute interview
Preferred Social Media Platforms for Intervention Messages (Semi-Structured Interview Guide; Thematic Analysis)
Time Frame: Baseline, During a single 60-minute interview

Using a standardized semi-structured interview guide, participants were asked on which social media platforms they would expect to see posts like the mock intervention messages and whether and how they would share them. Platform preferences were coded and summarized using the same thematic analysis approach.
Baseline, During a single 60-minute interview

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Allison J Lazard, PhD, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 6, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 23, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 23, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 27, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 4, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 4, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 23-1978-AIM1Interviews
  • R01CA276176 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

De-identified transcripts can be made available upon request secondary to ethics approval.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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