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Prostate CancerNCT01176526

The Role of Social Comparisons in Coping and Quality of Life Following a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

An observational study of Prostate Cancer, run by National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Social comparisons may function as a coping strategy, but their role in coping and quality of life has not been well characterized. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the relationships between cognitive appraisals; coping strategies; social comparisons; and quality of life among men with prostate… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 70 years, men only
Conditions the study is for
Prostate Cancer
How many people
196 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
19 Jul 2010to 27 Jan 2016
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 70 years
  • Men only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Under 70 years old (the mean age of diagnosis for prostate cancer)
  • Diagnosed between ages 18 and 70 with localized prostate cancer of stage T1b, T1c, or T2

Who cannot join

  • History of another primary cancer other than a skin cancer that was not melanoma

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), 9000 Rockville Pike

    Bethesda, Maryland, 20892

Other trials in United States

About this study

Social comparisons may function as a coping strategy, but their role in coping and quality of life has not been well characterized. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the relationships between cognitive appraisals; coping strategies; social comparisons; and quality of life among men with prostate cancer. The conceptual framework for this study is drawn from Festinger s Social Comparison Theory, Lazarus and Folkman s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, and Mishel s Uncertainty in Illness Theory. A cancer diagnosis is accompanied by uncertainty about how cancer will affect one s life. Theory and empirical data suggest that in conditions of uncertainty, coping affects adjustment to a condition. Social comparisons have been postulated to be more prevalent in uncertain situations. Because little is known about how social comparisons operate, participants in this study will be recruited exclusively from prostate cancer support groups. Support groups provide a context in which individuals are likely to make social comparisons and to be cognizant of these comparisons. Prostate cancer provides a model of a common, chronic condition with complex etiology. Prostate cancer treatment may cause sexual, urinary, and bowel side effects, which may affect patients quality of life and elicit attempts to cope. One way of managing the prostate cancer experience may be to compare oneself to others who are doing better or worse than oneself on relevant dimensions. The interpretation of social comparisons may positively or negatively affect one s perceived quality of life. There have been no studies among prostate cancer patients that have quantitatively measured the use of social comparisons. There is also a paucity of research in this population regarding the predictors of coping strategies and the predictors of quality of life across multiple domains. This study will use a cross-sectional, mixed methods survey to investigate relationships between cognitive appraisals, coping, and quality of life and to qualitatively explore social comparisons among men with prostate cancer. Participants may complete the survey on paper or online. The primary outcomes are the use of coping strategies, including social comparisons, and quality of life. Individuals with a personal or family history of prostate cancer are currently seen by genetic counselors as part of research studies investigating the genetic basis of prostate cancer. If relationships are demonstrated between the social comparisons and quality of life, genetic counselors may want to assess patients social comparisons to evaluate how patients are coping with their condition.

Read the detailed description

Social comparisons may function as a coping strategy, but their role in coping and quality of life has not been well characterized. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the relationships between cognitive appraisals; coping strategies; social comparisons; and quality of life among men with prostate cancer. The conceptual framework for this study is drawn from Festinger s Social Comparison Theory, Lazarus and Folkman s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, and Mishel s Uncertainty in Illness Theory. A cancer diagnosis is accompanied by uncertainty about how cancer will affect one s life. Theory and empirical data suggest that in conditions of uncertainty, coping affects adjustment to a condition. Social comparisons have been postulated to be more prevalent in uncertain situations. Because little is known about how social comparisons operate, participants in this study will be recruited exclusively from prostate cancer support groups. Support groups provide a context in which individuals are likely to make social comparisons and to be cognizant of these comparisons. Prostate cancer provides a model of a common, chronic condition with complex etiology. Prostate cancer treatment may cause sexual, urinary, and bowel side effects, which may affect patients quality of life and elicit attempts to cope. One way of managing the prostate cancer experience may be to compare oneself to others who are doing better or worse than oneself on relevant dimensions. The interpretation of social comparisons may positively or negatively affect one s perceived quality of life. There have been no studies among prostate cancer patients that have quantitatively measured the use of social comparisons. There is also a paucity of research in this population regarding the predictors of coping strategies and the predictors of quality of life across multiple domains. This study will use a cross-sectional, mixed methods survey to investigate relationships between cognitive appraisals, coping, and quality of life and to qualitatively explore social comparisons among men with prostate cancer. Participants may complete the survey on paper or online. The primary outcomes are the use of coping strategies, including social comparisons, and quality of life. Individuals with a personal or family history of prostate cancer are currently seen by genetic counselors as part of research studies investigating the genetic basis of prostate cancer. If relationships are demonstrated between the social comparisons and quality of life, genetic counselors may want to assess patients social comparisons to evaluate how patients are coping with their condition.

Conditions
Prostate Cancer
Keywords
Coping, Quality of Life, Prostate Cancer
Medical subject headings
Prostatic Neoplasms

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Perceived Quality of Life

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Use of various coping strategies

  2. Use of Social ComparisonsUse of Various Coping Strategies

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted6 Aug 2010 (estimated)
  2. Study start19 Jul 2010
  3. Study completion27 Jan 2016

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Time perspective
Retrospective
Enrolment
196 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01176526
Sponsor's protocol ID
999910172
Other IDs
10-HG-N172
Status last verified
27 Jan 2016
First submitted
5 Aug 2010
Last updated
13 Nov 2019
Results posted
No

Publications

  • Ahmad MM. Psychometric evaluation of the Cognitive Appraisal of Health Scale with patients with prostate cancer. J Adv Nurs. 2005 Jan;49(1):78-86. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2004.03266.x.

    PubMed 15610384
  • Bellizzi KM, Blank TO, Oakes CE. Social comparison processes in autobiographies of adult cancer survivors. J Health Psychol. 2006 Sep;11(5):777-86. doi: 10.1177/1359105306066637.

    PubMed 16908472
  • Boehmer S, Luszczynska A, Schwarzer R. Coping and quality of life after tumor surgery: personal and social resources promote different domains of quality of life. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2007 Mar;20(1):61-75. doi: 10.1080/10615800701195439.

    PubMed 17999215

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Prostate Cancer, run by National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Nov 2019. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Perceived Quality of Life. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01176526, which also lists 3 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Nov 2019.

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