Evaluation of Arts-Based Storytelling Program in Adolescents With Diabetes

NCT07625254 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 26-46489
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 10
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether an arts-based storytelling and narrative medicine workshop series can improve social connection, illness identity, and psychological well-being in adolescents and young adults with chronic illness, specifically diabetes. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does participation in a narrative-based storytelling workshop improve social connectedness and peer support among adolescents and young adults with diabetes?
• Does engagement in creative arts and reflective storytelling support identity formation, self-expression, and emotional well-being in this population? Participants will be 16-25 years old and recruited through the UCSF Pediatric Diabetes Clinic. Individuals must be able to participate in group workshops and complete surveys and interviews related to the study. Participants will:
• Attend eight weekly workshops centered on storytelling, reflection, and creative expression
• Engage in narrative medicine activities, including writing, storytelling, drawing, and facilitated reflection
• Participate in group discussions focused on personal experiences with chronic illness
• Complete pre- and post-intervention surveys assessing psychosocial outcomes such as social connectedness, illness identity, self-concept, and mental well-being
• Participate in interviews and reflective exercises about their experiences in the program This study aims to explore the role of narrative medicine and arts-based interventions in supporting adolescents and young adults with chronic illness and assess their potential benefits as a supplement to standard medical care.

Conditions

Diabetes Mellitus

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Participant retention and attendance

  Feasibility will be assessed by tracking the number of participants who attend each of the 8 weekly sessions, including overall completion of the program.

  Throughout intervention (Weeks 1-8), assessed immediately post-intervention (Week 8)

• Participant satisfaction

  Acceptability will be assessed using post-intervention satisfaction questionnaires with 5-point Likert-scale items and semi-structured individual interviews. Measures will evaluate perceived relevance of workshop content, usefulness of creative prompts, quality of group discussion, and facilitation experience. Scale title: Intervention Satisfaction Questionnaire (ISQ) Minimum value: 1 (Strongly Disagree) Maximum value: 5 (Strongly Agree) Interpretation: Higher scores indicate greater satisfaction with the intervention.

  Immediately post-intervention (Week 8)

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Illness identity

  Pre-intervention (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 8)

• Social connectedness

  Pre-intervention (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 8)

• Self-reported well-being

  Pre-intervention (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 8)

• Self-esteem

  Pre-intervention (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 8)

• Qualitative themes from interviews and group reflections

  Pre-intervention (Week 0) and post-intervention (Week 8)

Study Arms (1)

Arts-Based Storytelling Workshop Series

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this study will take part in an eight-week arts-based storytelling workshop series designed to promote social connection, self-expression, illness identity development, and psychological well-being in adolescents and young adults with diabetes. Workshops will be conducted weekly and will include: -Close engagement with written, visual, or artistic materials centered on themes such as identity, resilience, relationships, uncertainty, growth, and coping with chronic disease - Facilitated group discussions and sharing intended to foster peer support, connection, emotional processing, and self-expression - Creative arts exercises, including writing, storytelling, drawing, or other forms of creative expression in response to structured prompts

Behavioral: Arts-Based Storytelling Workshop Series

Interventions

Arts-Based Storytelling Workshop Series BEHAVIORAL

The Arts-Based Storytelling Workshop Series is a structured eight-week behavioral intervention designed to enhance self-expression, social connection, emotional reflection, and psychological well-being in adolescents and young adults with diabetes. This intervention differs from traditional educational or counseling approaches by integrating creative expression, guided reflection, and group dialogue as therapeutic tools. Each weekly session includes: -Engagement with written, visual, or artistic prompts centered on themes such as identity, resilience, relationships, coping, uncertainty, and growth in the context of chronic illness -Facilitated group discussion and sharing designed to promote peer support, emotional processing, and a sense of community among participants - Creative exercises in response to structured prompts, including writing, storytelling, drawing, or other expressive activities that support personal reflection

Arts-Based Storytelling Workshop Series

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 16 Years - 25 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Participants must be patients at the UCSF Pediatric Diabetes Clinic
• Participants must have a self-reported diagnosis of diabetes
• Participants must be between 16-25 years old
• The participant and/or caregiver(s) must be English-speaking

You may not qualify if:

• Participants unable to attend the first session

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, San Francisco: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of California, San Francisco

San Francisco, California, 94107, United States

Location

Related Publications (8)

• Yuan Y, Zhou S, Xu J, Li X. Promoting Resilience and Well-Being of Young Adults with Diabetes Through Digital Storytelling in Arts-Based Research. Health Commun. 2025 Nov;40(13):2828-2838. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2024.2424408. Epub 2024 Nov 6.

  PMID: 39501781 BACKGROUND

• Wigham S, Watts P, Zubala A, Jandial S, Bourne J, Hackett S. Using Arts-Based Therapies to Improve Mental Health for Children and Young People With Physical Health Long-Term Conditions: A Systematic Review of Effectiveness. Front Psychol. 2020 Sep 25;11:1771. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01771. eCollection 2020.

  PMID: 33101097 BACKGROUND

• Rappolt EL, Cho E, Tanenbaum ML, Myers A, Mulvaney SA. Story-based interventions for chronic health conditions in youth: a systematic review and narrative synthesis. J Pediatr Psychol. 2026 Feb 25:jsag014. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsag014. Online ahead of print.

  PMID: 41739534 BACKGROUND

• Maragh-Bass AC, Dinh N, Cooney G, Aikhuele E, Chandler R, Hughes R, Jones Z, Thomas S, Soberano ZR, Stocks JB, Budhwani H, Hightow-Weidman LB, Lorenzetti L. The role of digital storytelling methods in promoting health-related outcomes among young adults of color: a systematic review. Mhealth. 2025 Jul 14;11:42. doi: 10.21037/mhealth-24-65. eCollection 2025.

  PMID: 40755940 BACKGROUND

• Lanis A, Tu E, Peskin M, Melendez M, Tarshish G, Akinsete A, Hoffman A, Kenney-Riley K, Rubinstein T, Wahezi D. Storytelling of Young Adults with Chronic Rheumatologic Illnesses: A Pilot Study. Healthcare (Basel). 2022 Oct 9;10(10):1979. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10101979.

  PMID: 36292429 BACKGROUND

• Gucciardi E, Reynolds E, Karam G, Beanlands H, Sidani S, Espin S. Group-based storytelling in disease self-management among people with diabetes. Chronic Illn. 2021 Sep;17(3):306-320. doi: 10.1177/1742395319859395. Epub 2019 Jul 2.

  PMID: 31266352 BACKGROUND

• Continisio GI, Nunziata F, Coppola C, Bruzzese D, Spagnuolo MI, Guarino A. Enhancing the care of children with chronic diseases through the narratives of patient, physician, nurse and carer. Scand J Psychol. 2021 Feb;62(1):58-63. doi: 10.1111/sjop.12690. Epub 2020 Nov 18.

  PMID: 33206407 BACKGROUND

• Gucciardi E, Jean-Pierre N, Karam G, Sidani S. Designing and delivering facilitated storytelling interventions for chronic disease self-management: a scoping review. BMC Health Serv Res. 2016 Jul 11;16:249. doi: 10.1186/s12913-016-1474-7.

  PMID: 27401836 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Diabetes Mellitus

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Endocrine System Diseases

Study Officials

• Anoushka Sinha, MD, MS

  University of California, San Francisco

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Lina Lew, BS

  University of California, San Francisco

  STUDY CHAIR

• Calis Lim, BS

  Rosalind Franklin University

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Anoushka A Sinha, MD, MS

CONTACT

628-286-6116; anoushka.sinha@ucsf.edu

Lina Lew, BS

CONTACT

858-231-7426; Lina.Lew@ucsf.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 29, 2026
• First Posted: June 4, 2026
• Study Start: June 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Last Updated: June 5, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)