Testing the Feasibility of an Online Guided-writing Intervention Designed for Informal Caregivers of People With Parkinson's Disease

NCT07804953 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2024-086-AH
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 47
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

When informal caregivers of people with Parkinson's disease treat themselves harshly, they can experience psychological distress. To help them show themselves the same kindness and understanding that they would show another person in the same situation, we developed an online guided-writing intervention. This involved submitting four writing exercises where they first described a difficult situation, then wrote about how a compassionate other would respond to them during that challenge. The goal of this feasibility study was to learn if caregivers could complete the full intervention alongside providing care. We also interviewed some of those caregivers who completed the full intervention about their experiences of writing and submitting exercises.

Conditions

Psychological

Keywords

feasibility; guided-writing; self-compassion; online; Informal caregivers; Parkinson's disease

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• State and Trait Anxiety Inventory

  20-item measure

  Pre- and post-intervention; which is completion of the four intervention exercises, an average of 20 days; two-week follow-up

Other Outcomes (3)

• Self-compassion Scale

  Pre- and post-intervention; which is completion of the four intervention exercises, an average of 20 days; two-week follow-up

• Emotional Regulation Questionnaire

  Pre- and post-intervention, which is completion of the four intervention exercises, an average of 20 days; two-week follow-up

• Positive and Negative Affect Scale-Extended version

  Pre- and post-intervention, which is completion of the four intervention exercises, an average of 20 days; two-week follow-up

Study Arms (1)

Experience intervention

OTHER

All caregiver's experienced the intervention

Behavioral: An online guided-writing intervention that uses guidance based on self-compassion principles

Interventions

An online guided-writing intervention that uses guidance based on self-compassion principles BEHAVIORAL

Four writing exercises that can be completed at the caregiver's convenience, albeit a maximum of one exercise per day. Caregivers can also use a 'save and return function' so do not have to write continuously and complete in one sitting

Experience intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Reading: lead

Study Sites (1)

School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences

Reading, RG6 6ES, United Kingdom

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Parkinsonian Disorders; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Movement Disorders; Synucleinopathies; Neurodegenerative Diseases

Study Officials

• Aileen K Ho, PhD

  University of Reading

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Jacqueline Sin, PhD

  The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

• Neil Boyt, MSc

  University of Reading

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Mr

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 27, 2026
• First Posted: September 4, 2026
• Study Start: April 30, 2024
• Primary Completion: March 31, 2025
• Study Completion: September 30, 2025
• Last Updated: September 4, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Locations

GB (1)