Cancer Distress Coach Mobile App Trial

Duke University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Cancer

Treatments: Behavioral: Cancer Distress Coach Mobile App

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02986152

Pro00075411

Details and patient eligibility

About

The Cancer Distress Coach (CDC) mobile app is a symptom management tool for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in cancer patients and caregivers. Based largely on "PTSD Coach" from the National Center for PTSD, the CDC app was redesigned for both iOS and Android platforms and is tailored specifically to individuals impacted by cancer.

This study aims to evaluate whether CDC app usage influences symptoms of PTSD through a randomized controlled trial (RCT) where subjects are placed into either the intervention group or the wait-listed control group for a period of 8 weeks. The CDC app is available as a free download on the App Store® and on Google Play™.

Enrollment: 569 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Have been diagnosed with cancer or are/were a caregiver to someone with cancer
• Resident of the United States of America
• Able to read and write English
• Age ≥ 18 years

Exclusion criteria

• None

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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569 participants in 2 patient groups

CDC Mobile App Treatment

Experimental group

Description:

Subjects who are randomized to the CDC mobile app treatment arm will be asked to perform the app's full suite of intervention tools such as learning about PTSD, assessment, finding support, and mind/body exercises (e.g., guided imagery, meditation, and relaxation exercises) over the entire 8-week study period.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Cancer Distress Coach Mobile App

CDC Mobile App Wait-List Control

Other group

Description:

Subjects who are randomized to the CDC mobile app wait-list control arm will be asked to perform only the learning about PTSD, assessment, and finding support activities for the first 4 weeks. Following completion of the Week-4 questionnaires, subjects will then be asked to additionally perform the mind/body exercises (e.g., guided imagery, meditation, and relaxation exercises) for the duration of the 8-week study period.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Cancer Distress Coach Mobile App