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Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Caregivers' Stress

Phase < 1
Waitlist Available
Led By Allison Applebaum, PhD
Research Sponsored by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
English-speaking as English proficiency screener and in the best judgment of the consenting professional. This is due to the focus groups being managed in English and the use of certain validated questionnaires only being available in English.
Age > 18
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up 1 year
Awards & highlights

Study Summary

This trial is testing an intervention called Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy (MCP) to see if it can improve spiritual well-being and decrease existential distress in caregivers of patients with Glioblastoma. The investigators want to find out about caregivers' initial impressions of MCP so that the intervention can be adjusted to better meet their needs.

Who is the study for?
This trial is for adults over 18 who are informal caregivers to patients with Glioblastoma. They must feel distressed, linking it to their caregiving role, and be able to speak English fluently due to the nature of the focus groups and questionnaires.Check my eligibility
What is being tested?
The study tests when it's best to offer Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy (MCP) for cancer caregivers. It compares MCP's impact on spiritual well-being and existential distress against Enhanced Usual Care in a focus group setting.See study design
What are the potential side effects?
Since this trial involves psychotherapy rather than medication, traditional side effects aren't expected. Participants may experience emotional discomfort discussing personal experiences during therapy sessions.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below
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I am proficient in English.
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I am older than 18 years.
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I am a close contact of an MSKCC patient with GBM who passed away over a year ago.
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I am currently providing informed consent for a glioblastoma trial.
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I am 18 years old or older.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~1 year
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and 1 year for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Outcome measures can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.
Primary outcome measures
Acceptability of Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Cancer Caregivers (MCP-C) delivered to caregivers of participants with GBM
Glioblastoma

Trial Design

2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: Part IIExperimental Treatment2 Interventions
In Part 2, we will recruit 60 ICs of patients with GBM who will be randomized to receive either MCP-C or EUC. MCP-C will be delivered individually over 7 1-hour-long sessions within 7 - 14 weeks.
Group II: Part IExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Focus group (Part 1) of four to ten GBM ICs bereaved at least one year to help determine our recruitment strategy. Participants will be asked to reflect on their caregiving experience and specifically, when the receipt of a supportive intervention that addresses existential distress would have been most appropriate and well received. Should consensus among participants be reached (e.g., if the majority report that being approached at time of their loved one's cancer recurrence would have been the optimal time for enrollment), we will target our enrollment timeline to this point (and this timeline will be reflected in amended inclusion criteria). If no consensus is reached, the study staff will enroll ICs at all points in the caregiving trajectory and revisit the appropriateness of various points of contact during the Part 2 individual interviews.
Treatment
First Studied
Drug Approval Stage
How many patients have taken this drug
Focus Group
2017
Completed Phase 1
~4060
Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Cancer Caregivers / MCP-C
2018
Completed Early Phase 1
~70
Enhanced Usual Care / EUC
2018
Completed Early Phase 1
~70

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterLead Sponsor
1,933 Previous Clinical Trials
585,556 Total Patients Enrolled
16 Trials studying Glioblastoma
1,221 Patients Enrolled for Glioblastoma
Allison Applebaum, PhDPrincipal InvestigatorMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
7 Previous Clinical Trials
1,012 Total Patients Enrolled

Frequently Asked Questions

These questions and answers are submitted by anonymous patients, and have not been verified by our internal team.

Are there opportunities to join this experiment presently available?

"Data on clinicaltrials.gov implies that this medical trial is not accepting new participants at the moment. The study was first published in February 12th, 2018 and has since been updated for the last time on November 9th 2022. Nonetheless, there are still 441 other research studies currently recruiting patients."

Answered by AI
~9 spots leftby Apr 2025