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Writing About Disease: Effect on Rehabilitation?

This study has been completed.
Sponsor:
Collaborator:
The norwegian association for heart and lung patients
Information provided by:
LHL Helse
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT00251420
First received: November 9, 2005
Last updated: May 6, 2009
Last verified: May 2009
History of Changes
  Purpose

Therapeutic writing about one's emotions has been described previously (J Pennebaker: Emotions, disclosure and health. Am Psychol. Assoc 1995). The present project will compare the effects (if any) of writing about the emotional versus the physical consequences of lung disease on anxiety, perceived quality of life, and perceived health status.


Condition Intervention
COPD
Asthma
 Procedure: writing about disease

Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Allocation: Randomized
Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Open Label
Official Title: Writing About Disease: Effect on Rehabilitation?

Resource links provided by NLM:

U.S. FDA Resources

Further study details as provided by LHL Helse:

Primary Outcome Measures:
  • Quality of life [ Time Frame: prospective ]
  • Perceived health status [ Time Frame: prospective ]
  • Trait anxiety [ Time Frame: prospective ]

Secondary Outcome Measures:
  • Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) [ Time Frame: prospective ]
  • 6-minute walking distance [ Time Frame: prospective ]

Estimated Enrollment: 180
Study Start Date: December 2005
Study Completion Date: December 2007
Intervention Details:
    Procedure: writing about disease
    writing about physical or emotional consequences of pulmonary disease
Detailed Description:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients (age 35-70) and asthma patients (age 20-60) referred to a 4 weeks inpatient rehabilitation program - who agree to participate in the project - are randomly assigned to one of three conditions:

  • Writing about emotional consequences of their disease before the program starts
  • Writing about physical consequences of their disease before the program starts
  • Not writing

All patients are measured (completing questionnaires at home) on: perceived quality of life, perceived health status and trait anxiety - 2 weeks before the program, 2 weeks after the program and 6 months after the program. FEV1 and 6 min walking distance are measured at the beginning and by the end of the program.

In addition to questionnaires, all patients are asked to:

  • Write in their own words ( 2 weeks after) to evaluate their stay at the rehabilitation clinic; and
  • Write in their own words (6 months after) about how the disease affects their life at that point.

Both quantitative and qualitative data will be used for analysis purposes.

  Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:   20 Years to 70 Years
Genders Eligible for Study:   Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   No
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Clinical diagnosis of COPD (age between 35 and 70)
  • Clinical diagnosis of asthma (age between 20 and 60)
  Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00251420

Locations
Norway
Glittreklinikken
Hakadal, Akershus, Norway, 1485
Sponsors and Collaborators
LHL Helse
The norwegian association for heart and lung patients
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Einar Haave, Cand Psychol LHL Helse
  More Information

No publications provided

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00251420     History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers: G22-1
Study First Received: November 9, 2005
Last Updated: May 6, 2009
Health Authority: Norway:National Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics

Keywords provided by LHL Helse:
copd
asthma
QoL
Perceived health status
Trait anxiety

Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Asthma
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
Bronchial Diseases
Respiratory Tract Diseases
Lung Diseases, Obstructive
 Lung Diseases
Respiratory Hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity, Immediate
Hypersensitivity
Immune System Diseases

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on May 16, 2013