Caregivers are asked to talk about their deepest thoughts and feelings regarding the patient's transplant and their role as caregiver, in the presence of the patient (one session).

Caregivers are asked to talk about their deepest thoughts and feelings regarding the patient's transplant and their role as caregiver, in the absence of the patient (3 sessions).

Caregivers are asked to talk about their plans for the upcoming week (time management, sessions 1 and 3) and positive aspects of their life (session 2).

Caregivers are given the opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings regarding the patient's transplant and their role as caregiver

Emotional expression

Shelby Langer, PhD

This study seeks to test a brief psychological intervention for spousal caregivers of cancer patients (specifically, hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients), persons known to experience emotional distress.

This project focuses on spousal caregivers (CGs) of hematopoietic stem cell transplant survivors - persons known to report elevated levels of distress as compared to both norms and their patient counterparts. Specific Aims are to: (1) Determine, via experimental manipulation, whether or not CGs of hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients engage in protective buffering, a coping mechanism whereby partners shield patients from illness-related concerns or worries, (2) Examine synchrony or lack thereof, desynchrony, among subjective, expressive and biologic indicators of emotion among spousal CGs, and (3) Test the feasibility and implementation of an emotional expression (EE) exercise designed to enhance psychological and immune functioning among spousal CGs.

Study title	NCT ID	Conditions	Interventions	Eligibility	Organization
Spouses/Partners Expressing Their Thoughts After Transplant	NCT01061801	Cancer Hematopoietic S...	Emotional expre...	21 Years -	Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Spouses/Partners Expressing Their Thoughts After Transplant	NCT01061801	Cancer Hematopoietic S...	Emotional expre...	21 Years -	Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Spouses/Partners Expressing Their Thoughts After Transplant	NCT01061801	Cancer Hematopoietic S...	Emotional expre...	21 Years -	Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Spots Global Cancer Trial Database for protective buffering