Support program for parents living with advanced cancer
Efficacy of a Parental Support Intervention to Improve Communication of Advanced Cancer Patients With Adolescents and Young Adults
This study tests whether adding experiential sessions to a psycho-educational program helps parents with advanced cancer communicate better with their children aged 10–25.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 120 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Université Libre de Bruxelles Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Anderlecht) |
| Trial ID | NCT07341815 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This is a prospective, two-arm randomized trial comparing a psycho-educational program alone versus a combined psycho-educational and experiential program for parents with advanced or recurrent cancer. Eligible participants have at least one child aged 10–25 and are willing to work on parent-child communication; all participants complete baseline and follow-up interviews two weeks and three months after the interventions. Participants are randomized after a one-hour welcome session and the interventions are delivered in French at the coordinating site. The trial measures multiple communication-related outcomes to determine whether the combined approach produces greater improvements than psycho-education alone.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Parents with metastatic, recurrent, or certain hematological cancers who have at least one child aged 10–25, can read and speak French, and want help communicating with their children are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Patients in (pre-)terminal phases, those with severe neurological or psychiatric disorders, people who cannot read or speak French, or those without children aged 10–25 are unlikely to benefit or are ineligible.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the combined intervention could increase parental confidence and improve how parents talk with their children about illness, uncertainty, and consequences.
How similar studies have performed: Few randomized trials have tested parenting-support interventions in oncology and existing studies are heterogeneous, so this combined psycho-educational and experiential approach remains relatively untested.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Metastatic cancer, recurrence of cancer or certain types of hematological cancer (chronic disease, acute leukemia, multiple myeloma or lymphoma recurrence) * Have at least one child aged between 10 and 25 years * Wish to benefit from a psychological intervention about communication with their children about cancer or its consequences * Able to read and speak French * Accept to give their written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Severe neurological disorder * Severe psychiatric disorder * (Pre-)terminal phase of cancer disease
Where this trial is running
Anderlecht
- Institut Jules Bordet — Anderlecht, Belgium (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Aurore Liénard, PhD
- Email: aurore.lienard@hubruxelles.be
- Phone: +32 25417250
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.