Cultivating Resilience in Oncology Practice (CROP)

Cultivating Resilience in Oncology Practice: A Feasibility Study of Pediatric Patients

The purpose of the CROP study is to investigate the potential to cultivate psychological resources and resilience in childhood cancer patients and their family members using a mobile phone-based intervention.

The feasibility study aims to evaluate the implementation and participant experience of the digital intervention and register psychological outcome measures preliminary evidence for its acceptability, feasibility, and potential beneficial effects.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Depressive Symptoms; Childhood Cancer; Anxiety Disorders and Symptoms; Mental Health Issue
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Awareness and insight Modules (AiM)

Detailed Description

The feasibility study (CROP) will recruit 20 youths with newly diagnosed cancer (10-18 y) and family members for participation in a 12-week digital intervention to cultivate psychological resources.

Investigators will recruit an equal number of pediatric patients with other chronic conditions to an observational comparison group to indicate the influences on participation and outcome from the oncology care context.

Investigators will obtain informed consent from all participants. Upon inclusion in the study, participants will start getting a text message every day for 12 consecutive weeks. The texts will contain links to a digital platform on which participants will complete an exercise in either self-reflection or guided mindfulness meditation.

The psychological training program is based on 12 modules with evidence-based treatments in other medical contexts and age groups. The practices are based on acceptance, commitment, re-appraisal, meaning and purpose, expressive writing, narrative processes, mindfulness, compassion, equanimity, and gratitude. The combination of practices and the implementation in pediatric oncology has not been studied earlier.

The cancer patients will be recruited during the first month after diagnosis, meet with an instructor during 2-4 start-up meetings, and thereafter practice on their own or with participating family members.

The pediatric patients with chronic diseases will be recruited during a follow-up visit to an out-patient clinic and meet with an instructor during 2-4 start-up meetings, and thereafter practice on their own or together with participating family members.

Investigators will address the primary research question of the feasibility of the intervention by investigating participant activity data, written evaluations of the experience of participation, and through phone interviews of participants.

Secondary research questions, such as preliminary data on changes in mental health and psychological distress, will be investigated with self-report questionnaires.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 40
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Oskar Lundgren, MD, Phd, MSc; Phone Number: 46 70-2285546; Email: oskar.lundgren@liu.se

Study Locations

• Sweden
  • Linköping, Sweden, 58183
    • H.K.H. Crown Princess Victoria Children's Hospital, Linköping University Hospital, Sweden
    • Contact: Oskar Lundgren, MD, PhD, MSc; Phone Number: 46 010-1030326; Email: oskar.lundgren@regionostergotland.se

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 10 years to 18 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Newly diagnosed cancer
• Chronic pediatric disease

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe crisis reaction
• Late-stage palliative care
• Severe intellectual disability
• Psychiatric disease hindrance
• Participation in other study with psychological intervention

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cancer patients; Youths (10-18 y) with newly diagnosed cancer, as well as their family members.	Behavioral: Awareness and insight Modules (AiM); 12 week of daily reflection and meditation exercises, delivered by mobile phone text messages, after 3-4 live introduction sessions.
Active Comparator: Pediatric patients; Youths (10-18 y) with a chronic somatic disease receiving care at a pediatric outpatient facility.	Behavioral: Awareness and insight Modules (AiM); 12 week of daily reflection and meditation exercises, delivered by mobile phone text messages, after 3-4 live introduction sessions.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF)	14 items. Score (min-max): 0-70. A high score indicates mental well-being.	At the beginning of the trial.
Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF)	14 items. Score (min-max): 0-70. A high score indicates mental well-being.	After 12 weeks of participation in the trial.
Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF)	14 items. Score (min-max): 0-70. A high score indicates mental well-being.	At 12-month after completion of the trial.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)	25 items. Score (min-max): 0-25. A high score indicates psychiatric difficulties.	At the beginning of the trial.
Strenghs and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)	25 items. Score (min-max): 0-25. A high score indicates psychiatric difficulties.	After 12 weeks of participation in the trial.
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)	25 items. Score (min-max): 0-25. A high score indicate psychiatric difficulties.	At 12-month after completion of the trial.
Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale Short form (RCADS-SF)	25 items. Score (min-max): 0-75. A high score indicates symptoms of anxiety and depression.	At the beginning of the trial.
Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS)	25 items. Score (min-max): 0-75. A high score indicates symptoms of anxiety and depression.	After 12 weeks of participation in the trial.
Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS)	25 items. Score (min-max): 0-75. A high score indicates symptoms of anxiety and depression.	At 12-month after completion of the trial.
System Usability Scale (SUS)	10 items. Score (min-max): 10-50. A high score indicates a high level of usability.	After completion of the 12 week trial.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Linkoeping University
• Investigators: Study Chair: Catrin Furuhjelm, MD, PhD, Region Östergötland

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Anticipated): May 31, 2021
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): December 31, 2022
• Study Completion (Anticipated): May 2, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 23, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 20, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): May 26, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 26, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 20, 2021
• Last Verified: May 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Depression; Anxiety Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2020-01044

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Study data will be made available upon reasonable request from other researchers.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No