Communication Memory of Cancer Diagnosis Within the Pediatric Triangle

September 24, 2025 updated by: Rosanna Martin, Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS

Communication Memory of Cancer Diagnosis Within Pediatric Triangle: a Cross-sectional Observational Study

Present project aims to investigate memories related to a cancer communication diagnosis in pediatric oncology. It evaluates possible common elements and specificity between family and healthcare staff.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Lots of scientific evidences have shown that autobiographical episodes' narrative has a beneficial effect on the elaboration of memories. Indeed, narrating is a way to order thoughts and moods, which are connected to particular episodes of one's life, in order to rework and relive them. Since the diagnosis, a relationship and an open and sincere dialogue between the various parts of the pediatric triangle can promote a process of adaptation to the experience of illness and an integrated biopsychosocial healing. The first aim of this study is to explore and analyze autobiographical memories of pediatric patients, parents and healthcare staff. Also, it aims to investigate possible common and discordant element between deposition.

Phases of the present study:

  1. Sample recruitment and informed consent collection.
  2. Diagnosis communication audio recording.
  3. Communication of the autobiographical memory of the diagnosis audio recording of patients, parents, oncologist, nurse and psychologists involved, the day after the communication.
  4. Questionnaire APAM administration for adult participants.
  5. Audio Transcription and data coded. Data will be registered and operated by means of statistical software as SPSS (IBM) and T-Lab (Lancia, 2004).
  6. Statistical processing: ANOVA and t of Student tests will be implemented in order to compare collected questionnaires. Narrative analysis will be implemented by means of textual analysis software.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

70

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

  • Italy
    • Firenze
      • Florence, Firenze, Italy, 50139
        • Meyer Children's Hospital

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

Ages Eligible for Study

12 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

patients with cancer diagnosis; their parents and healthcare staff

Description

Inclusion criteria for pediatric patients:

  • age from 12 to 17 with cancer diagnosis only taken by Meyer Children's Hospital prior consent.
  • Italian speaking

Exclusion criteria for pediatric patients:

  • under 12 years old and above 17;
  • followed by other hospital;
  • cognitive disability

Inclusion criteria for parents:

- Italian speaking and signature informed consent.

Exclusion criteria for parents:

- cognitive disability

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: Case-Only
  • Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Patients
Pediatric patients from 12 to 17 with cancer diagnosis only taken by Meyer Children's Hospital prior consent. Knowledge of fluent Italian language is required
Other: Communication memory
All groups will undergo audio-recorder interviews. Only adults will complete a self-report questionnaire on phenomenological aspects of autobiographical memories.
Parents
Parents of pediatric patients prior consent. Knowledge of fluent Italian language is required
Other: Communication memory
All groups will undergo audio-recorder interviews. Only adults will complete a self-report questionnaire on phenomenological aspects of autobiographical memories.
Medical Staff
Medical staff including doctor, psychologist and nurse
Other: Communication memory
All groups will undergo audio-recorder interviews. Only adults will complete a self-report questionnaire on phenomenological aspects of autobiographical memories.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Phenomenological characteristics of autobiographical memory
Time Frame: One day after diagnosis
Self report questionnaire "Assessment of the Phenomenology of Autobiographical Memory - APAM"
One day after diagnosis
Emotional characteristics of autobiographical memory
Time Frame: One day after diagnosis
linguistic analysis by Linguistic Inquiry Word Count - LIWC; cluster analysis by T-Lab; Content analysis; coherence and narrative structure by High Point Anaysis.
One day after diagnosis

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS

Collaborators

University of Florence

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Chiara Fioretti, PhD, Laboratorio di Metodi e Tecniche di Analisi delle Esperienze di Malattia Dipartimento di Scienze della Formazione e Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze

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.

General Publications

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)

September 1, 2019

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 5, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 13, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

May 19, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

September 26, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 24, 2025

Last Verified

September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Communication in oncology

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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