Biobehavioral Effects of Emotional Expression in Cancer

Detailed Summary

The proposed study will assess the psychological and physiological benefits of an emotional expression intervention in patients with renal cancer. Patients will be randomly assigned to an emotional expression writing group or to a neutral writing group. This study will also evaluate the extent to which psychosocial factors mediate the intervention program and predict patients' recovery and adjustment to treatment. Potential mediators include level of cognitive processing, social networks/interactions, and sense of coherence and ability to find meaning in the illness experience. Specific objectives of the proposed research are: * To evaluate an emotional expression intervention in patients with renal cancer. Researchers will determine the extent to which an emotional expression writing-based intervention enhances adjustment during the first 12 months following diagnosis and treatment. Dimensions of adjustment will be assessed by examining indices of QOL, mental health, and stress (subjective symptoms of distress, perceived stress, and mood). * To determine the effects of an emotional expression writing-based intervention on immune function. The immune measures assessed in this study will include both general and autologous tumor-specific immune responses including cytotoxicity to K562 target cells; cytotoxicity to autologous tumor target cells; and functional assessment of type-1 and type-2 cytokines using autologous tumor and polyclonal stimulants. * To identify the psychosocial processes underlying the efficacy of the intervention.

Study Details

Timeline

Interventions