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Brief Title: LOL: It's All Improv After Cancer! The Impact of Improvisational Comedy on Well-Being Among Patients With Cancer
Official Title: LOL: It's All Improv After Cancer! The Impact of Improvisational Comedy on Well-Being Among Patients With Cancer
Study ID: NCT02892006
Brief Summary: Managing distress and improving well-being is critically important for optimal survivorship care. Treatment of distress leads to better adherence to treatment, better communication, fewer calls and visits to the oncologist's office, and avoidance of development of severe anxiety or depression. Based on national guidelines, distress is typically managed with pharmacologic options (i.e. benzodiazepines), support groups, individual counseling, or chaplaincy services. To our knowledge, the role of a structured improvisational comedy (improv) program in reducing distress and improving well-being has never been evaluated in the oncology setting.
Detailed Description: With over 14 million cancer survivors today in the United States comes a unique constellation of challenges and opportunities for health care providers trying to optimize health at a time when many patients are struggling and open to learning new skills for strengthening their own resiliency and ability to cope. Not only does a significant subset of patients with cancer experience an increase in negative emotions, such as distress, anxiety and depression, but they often also experience a lack of positive emotions (Hart 2010). Managing distress and improving well-being is critically important for optimal survivorship care. Treatment of distress leads to better adherence to treatment, better communication, fewer calls and visits to the oncologist's office, and avoidance of development of severe anxiety or depression (Partridge, Wang et al. 2003; Carlson and Bultz 2004; 2014). Based on national guidelines, distress is typically managed with pharmacologic options (i.e. benzodiazepines), support groups, individual counseling, or chaplaincy services. To our knowledge, the role of a structured improvisational comedy (improv) program in reducing distress and improving well-being has never been evaluated in the oncology setting.
Minimum Age: 18 Years
Eligible Ages: ADULT, OLDER_ADULT
Sex: FEMALE
Healthy Volunteers: No
Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, United States
Name: Arash Asher, MD
Affiliation: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR