Expressive Writing Program Among Young Adults With Blood Cancer

An Expressive Writing Program to Support Emotional Wellness Among Young Adults With Hematologic Malignancy

The goal of this study is to learn more about an expressive writing workshop among people with blood cancer. The main question it aims to answer is whether and how an expressive writing workshop can impact mental wellness.

Participants will

• Take part in an online expressive writing workshop for four weeks
• Take three surveys at different times over 12 weeks Researchers will compare changes in mental wellness reported by the participants of the workshop to those who will wait four weeks to start the workshop. After four weeks, the participants who are waiting will start their workshop.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Hematologic Malignancy
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Expressive Writing Workshop

Detailed Description

The goal of this study is to learn more about an expressive writing workshop among people with blood cancer. The main question it aims to answer is whether and how an expressive writing workshop can impact mental wellness.

Participants will

• Take part in an online expressive writing workshop for four weeks
• Take three surveys at different times over 12 weeks Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two study groups by chance. Group 1 will start the workshop the following week. Group 2 will wait 4 weeks before starting the workshop. The workshop is the same for both groups. Each week, participants will be given a writing prompt and asked to spend at least 15 minutes writing a response. They will be able to share their writing response in a private online community group if they would like, but sharing is not required.

Researchers will then compare changes in mental wellness between group 1 and 2.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 100
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Research Coordinator; Phone Number: 914-821-8862; Email: researchprograms@bloodcancerunited.org

Study Locations

• United States
  • District of Columbia
    • Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States, 20005
      • Recruiting
      • Blood Cancer United
      • Contact: Research Coordinator; Phone Number: 914-821-8862; Email: infocenter@bloodcancerunited.org
      • Contact: D; Phone Number: +1 914 821 8305
      • Principal Investigator: Elisa S Weiss, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patient with a hematologic malignancy diagnosis in treatment or after treatment is completed, who is currently between the ages of 18 and 39 (young adult), or the informal caregiver of a young adult blood cancer patient
• Located within the U.S., Canada, or U.S. territories
• Able to read and write in English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Located outside of the U.S., Canada, or its territories
• Participant is a minor aged 17 years or below

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group 1; Primary Intervention Group	Behavioral: Expressive Writing Workshop; Group 1 will start the workshop the following week. Group 2 will wait 4 weeks before starting the workshop. There is an equal chance of being placed group 1 or group 2. You cannot choose your study group. The workshop is the same for both groups.
Placebo Comparator: Group 2; Wait List Control Group	Behavioral: Expressive Writing Workshop; Group 1 will start the workshop the following week. Group 2 will wait 4 weeks before starting the workshop. There is an equal chance of being placed group 1 or group 2. You cannot choose your study group. The workshop is the same for both groups.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mental Wellbeing	Participants' mental wellbeing will be evaluated using the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), specifically the original 14-item scale developed by researchers at the University of Warwick and the University of Edinburgh in 2007. This self-report questionnaire asks questions about participants' feelings and how they have been functioning over the last two weeks to capture a comprehensive view of their recent mental wellbeing. Participants will rate each question on a 5-point Likert scale, and their responses will be totaled to a mental wellbeing score ranging from 14-70; higher scores indicate greater wellbeing.	Baseline, 4, and 8 weeks
Perceived Stress	A self-report questionnaire captures whether participants perceive different life situations as overwhelming or uncontrollable. Participants will rate each question on a 5-point Likert scale, and their responses will be totaled to a stress score ranging from 0-40, with higher score indicated more perceived stress.	Baseline, 4, and 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Blood Cancer United

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 10, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 10, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): February 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 7, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 1, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: expressive writing
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Hematologic Diseases; Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases; Hematologic Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: BCU26-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Participant data will be shared at the aggregate, deidentified level only.

Drug and device information, study documents

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