Humor Therapy and Distress After Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation
- Conditions
- Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Humor therapy
- Registration Number
- NCT03593161
- Lead Sponsor
- Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
- Brief Summary
This research study evaluates the impact of a humor intervention on distress (primary outcome), hope, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and pain (secondary outcomes) in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).
- Detailed Description
Patients undergoing allo-HSCT often experience substantial psychological distress during hospitalization and after discharge. Research in pediatric patients with cancer as well as geriatric patients suggests that psychosocial burden might be decreased by humor therapy. Studies addressing the impact of humor therapy in adult patients with cancer are lacking.
This randomized controlled trial primarily aims at assessing the effect of therapeutic humor on global distress in patients during their hospital stay for allo-HSCT. In addition, the study investigates hope, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and pain as secondary outcomes. The outcomes are measured via questionnaires.
Study results may be beneficial for patients who experience distress during hospitalization for allo-HSCT.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- UNKNOWN
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 126
- Age ≥ 18 years
- Admission for allogeneic transplantation at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
- Insufficient German language skills
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Humor therapy Humor therapy After baseline assessment (before start of conditioning), patients assigned to the experimental study arm will receive the standard psychosocial care plus weekly clown visits over the course of their inpatient stay for allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Distress Change from baseline (before start of conditioning) to 4 weeks after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (days +7, +14, +21 and +28) Measured with the Distress Thermometer (DT): Brief screening instrument to assess the level of perceived distress in patients with cancer (11-point scale ranging from 0 = no distress to 10 = extreme distress)
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Pain intensity measured with the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) Change from baseline (before start of conditioning) to 4 weeks after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (days +7, +14, +21 and +28) Measured with the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS): Brief screening instrument to assess pain intensity (11-point scale ranging from 0 = no pain to 10 = worst imaginable pain)
Hope Change from baseline (before start of conditioning) to 4 weeks after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (days +7, +14, +21 and +28) Measured with the Herth Hope Index (HHI): Short self-report instrument for the measurement of hope in clinical oncological care (12 items, 4-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 4 = strongly agree)
Anxiety symptoms Change from baseline (before start of conditioning) to 4 weeks after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (days +14 and +28) Measured with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7): Short self-report instrument to assess the severity of anxiety symptoms (7 items, 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day)
Depressive symptoms Change from baseline (before start of conditioning) to 4 weeks after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (days +14 and +28) Measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9): Short self-report instrument to assess the severity of depressive symptoms (9 items, 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day)
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
🇩🇪Hamburg, Germany