The effects of expressive writing on haemodialysis patients

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Depression associated with kidney disease; Mental and Behavioural Disorders; Depressive episode, unspecified

• Registration Number: ISRCTN19773253
• Lead Sponsor: King's College London (UK)

Brief Summary

2014 results in https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?did=1&uin=uk.bl.ethos.656944 (added 13/08/2020)

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Results First Posted: 1900-01-01
• Study Start: 2013-01-16
• Study Completion: 2013-09-30
• Last Update Posted: 24 August 2020

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 50

Inclusion Criteria

1. To be included in the study, patients (>18 years of age, either sex) will need to be a renal patient currently undergoing haemodialysis treatment within one of the dialysis units of Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Trust.
2. To be included in the writing intervention patients will have met a cut-off score of 3 or more on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) as part of the screening phase, indicating some level of distress.

Exclusion Criteria

Exclusion criteria (for both the screening and RCT phases) will include:
1. Patients under the age of 18
2. Those with significant visual or physical impairment preventing completion of the questionnaires
3. Inability to speak or write in English
4. Known cognitive impairment
5. Documented history of psychiatric illness including severe depression (identified as being under the care of a psychiatrist), and
6. Length of time on dialysis as <90 days

Following screening, patients with a General Health Questionnaire score of less than 3 will not be eligible for the writing task.

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
<br> Feasibility measured by:<br> 1. Recording the number of patients who are eligible in the targeted clinics<br> 2. The number willing to consent to screening and randomisation<br> 3. The number eligible for randomisation<br> 4. The number of drop-outs<br> 5. The number who adhere to task instructions<br>

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
<br> Data from a series of psychosocial questionnaire:<br> 1. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12)<br> 2. Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ)<br> 3. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2)<br> 4. Pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)<br> 5. Chalder Fatigue Scale]<br><br> At one week, after 3 months and finally after 6 months.<br>