Hematologic MalignancyNCT03654404
A Proof-of-Concept Trial of a Positive Psychology Intervention for Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant Patients
A study testing Positive Psychology Intervention in people with Hematologic Malignancy and Hematopoietic/Lymphoid Cancer, run by Brigham and Women's Hospital at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this research study is to find out if a novel phone-based positive psychology intervention that focuses on improving health behaviors and positive emotions can help improve mood, health related quality of life, and overall function in patients who have just undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 90 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Hematologic Malignancy, Hematopoietic/Lymphoid Cancer, Blood Cancer
- What is being tested?
- Positive Psychology Intervention
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 29 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 11 Sep 2018to 31 Jul 2021
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
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 90 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Adult patients with hematologic malignancies hospitalized for allogeneic HSCT at the DFCI inpatient units who are medically stable and appropriate for study approach
- Ability to speak, read and write English
- Access to a telephone
Who cannot join
- Current major depressive episode, bipolar disorder, psychosis or active substance use disorder diagnosed via the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI)
- Cognitive deficits impeding a study participant's ability to provide informed consent or participate adequately in the study assessed via the Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS)
- Medical conditions precluding interviews
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, Massachusetts, 02215
About this study
The goal of this research study is to find out if a novel phone-based positive psychology intervention that focuses on improving health behaviors and positive emotions can help improve mood, health related quality of life, and overall function in patients who have just undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as part of blood cancer treatment.
Read the detailed description
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a rigorous treatment for blood cancer patients that can be life-saving, but often causes psychological distress. The investigators hope that this study will help the research team to develop and implement a positive psychological intervention designed to help HSCT patients increase positive emotions such as hope, gratitude, and fulfillment while recovering from a stem cell transplant. Participants will be selected after receiving an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant treatment in the past 30 days at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI).
In this project, the investigators hope to:
- Test the feasibility and acceptability of a novel, 8-week, phone-based positive psychology intervention in a small cohort of post-HSCT patients (N = 30).
- Explore potential benefits of completing the intervention on outcomes of interest, such as positive affect and overall function.
Baseline information about enrolled participants will be obtained from patients from the electronic medical record as required for characterization of our population. This information will include data regarding medical history, current medical variables, medications, and sociodemographic data.
Participants will be approached upon nearing their discharge from the hospital, approximately 30 days after their transplant. Between the time of their discharge and their 100-day post-transplant visit, there will be three check-in/psychosocial support phone calls at weeks 4, 8, and 12 after discharge to build rapport and discuss their recovery. Then, at week 14, participants will meet with the principal investigator to complete self-assessment questionnaires. The participants will then complete an 8-week phone-based positive psychology intervention, at the end of which the self-assessment questionnaires will be repeated.
- Being tested
- Positive Psychology Intervention
- Keywords
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant, Positive Psychology, Hematologic malignancy, Positive Psychological Intervention
- Medical subject headings
- Hematologic Neoplasms
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Positive Psychology InterventionBehavioural
Weekly phone calls with the study interventionist and positive psychology exercises over an 8-week period. The positive psychology program exercises includes three modules: gratitude-based activities, strength-based activities, and meaning-based activities.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Positive Psychology | Experimental | Participants will receive check-in/psychosocial support phone calls at weeks four, eight and twelve following enrollment.
At approximately 100-days post-HSCT, participants will begin an 8-week positive-psychology program involving weekly calls with an interventionist, in this case the principal investigator, and exercises (i.e. writing a letter of gratitude, identifying personal strengths, planning meaningful and enjoyable activities).
Participants will complete self-assessment questionnaires to measure positive affect, health behaviors, and overall function before and after completing the Positive Psychology Intervention. Receives: Behavioral: Positive Psychology Intervention |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Feasibility of Positive Psychology (PP) Intervention
Feasibility will be measured by examining the number of completed exercises.
Measured: Baseline - week 8 of intervention
Acceptability of Exercises: Ease Score
Participants will provide ratings of ease of completion after each PP exercise, measured on a 10-point Likert scale (score range: 0-10, 0 = very difficult and 10 = very easy). Ratings from all 8 weeks were averaged.
Measured: Baseline - week 8 of intervention
Acceptability of Exercises: Utility Score
Participants will provide ratings of utility of completion after each PP exercise, measured on a 10-point Likert scale (score range: 0-10, 0 = not helpful and 10 = very helpful). Ratings from all 8 weeks were averaged.
Measured: Baseline - week 8 of intervention
Secondary outcomes (7)
Changes in PANAS Scores
The positive affect items on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), a well-validated scale used in other intervention trials and in patients with medical illness, will be used to measure positive affect (Range: 10-50). Higher scores indicate higher levels of positive affect.
Measured: Change in score from baseline to 8 weeks
Changes in LOT-R Scores
Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) is a well-validated 6-item instrument used to measure dispositional optimism (Range: 0-24). Higher scores indicate higher levels of dispositional optimism.
Measured: Change in score from baseline to 8 weeks
Changes in HADS Scores
The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), which consists of the HADS-depression subscale and HADS-anxiety subscale, is a well-validated scale with few somatic symptom items that can confound mood/anxiety assessment in medically ill patients before and after the PP intervention. Both subscales consist of 7 items, and each item is scored on a 0-3 scale, 0 indicating no clinical severity or a lack of symptoms, and 3 indicating significant clinical severity or increased symptom frequency; the maximum score is for each scale 21 and the minimum score is a 0. Higher scores indicate higher levels of depression or anxiety.
Measured: Change in score from baseline to 8 weeks
Changes in FACT-BMT Scores
The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Bone Marrow Transplant is a 47-item measure of the quality of life in patients undergoing bone marrow transplants before and after the PP intervention. There are five subscales, each including 7 items and various score ranges: Physical Well-Being (0-28), Social/Family Well-Being (0-28), Emotional Well-Being (0-24), Functional Well-Being (0-28), and Transplant (0-40). Each item is scored on a 5-point Likert scale based on patient agreement with each statement: 0 for "not at all," 1 for "a little bit," 2 for "somewhat," 3 for "quite a bit," and 4 for "very much." In each subscale, add items together to get the sum, then the sum is multiplied by 7, and finally, the sum is divided by the number of items answered to obtain the subscale score. The Physical and Emotional subscales are reverse scored. The total score is the sum of the subscale total added together and ranges from 0-148. The higher the score, the better the quality of life.
Measured: Change in score from baseline to 8 weeks
Changes in PROMIS-PF-20 Scores
The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System - Physical Function is a well-validated scale used to measure overall function before and after the PP intervention. The PROMIS-Fatigue is scored on a 5-point Likert scale based on how much the person filling out the questionnaire agrees with the statement or question. The minimum value is 1 indicating "not at all" and the maximum value is 5 indicating "very much". Higher scores indicate higher levels of fatigue. The PROMIS-PF scores range from 20-100, with 20 indicating lower or limited levels of physical functioning and 100 indicating no difficulty or higher levels of physical functioning.
Measured: Change in score from baseline to 8 weeks
Immediate Impact of Exercises: Optimism Score
Participants will provide ratings of their present level of optimism after each PP exercise, measured on a 10-point Likert scale (score range: 0-10, 0 = not optimistic and 10 = very optimistic). Ratings from all 8 weeks were averaged.
Measured: Week 1 of intervention - Week 8 of intervention
Immediate Impact of Exercises: Positive Affect Score
Participants will provide ratings of their present level of positive affect after each PP exercise, measured on a 10-point Likert scale (score range: 0-10, 0 = not happy and 10 = very happy). Ratings from all 8 weeks were averaged.
Measured: Week 1 of intervention - Week 8 of intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted31 Aug 2018
- Study start11 Sep 2018
- Primary completion31 Mar 2021
- Study completion31 Jul 2021
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for Hematologic MalignancyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Brigham and Women's HospitalThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 29 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Harvard Medical School (HMS and HSDM)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Hermioni L.Amonoo, MD, MPP, MPH, Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Investigators
- Hermioni Amonoo, MD, MPP, MPH, Principal investigator, Brigham and Women's Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03654404
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 18-225
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 29 Aug 2018
- Last updated
- 11 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 11 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Proof-of-Concept Trial of a Positive Psychology Intervention for Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant Patients
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03654404
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 18-225
- Keywords
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant, Positive Psychology, Hematologic malignancy, Positive Psychological Intervention
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 29 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Brigham and Women's HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Harvard Medical School (HMS and HSDM)
- Study start
- 11 Sep 2018 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Mar 2021 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Jul 2021 (actual)
- First posted
- 31 Aug 2018 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 19 Jan 2022
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this research study is to find out if a novel phone-based positive psychology intervention that focuses on improving health behaviors and positive emotions can help improve mood, health related quality of life, and overall function in patients who have just undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as part of blood cancer treatment.
Detailed description
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a rigorous treatment for blood cancer patients that can be life-saving, but often causes psychological distress. The investigators hope that this study will help the research team to develop and implement a positive psychological intervention designed to help HSCT patients increase positive emotions such as hope, gratitude, and fulfillment while recovering from a stem cell transplant. Participants will be selected after receiving an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant treatment in the past 30 days at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI).
In this project, the investigators hope to:
- Test the feasibility and acceptability of a novel, 8-week, phone-based positive psychology intervention in a small cohort of post-HSCT patients (N = 30).
- Explore potential benefits of completing the intervention on outcomes of interest, such as positive affect and overall function.
Baseline information about enrolled participants will be obtained from patients from the electronic medical record as required for characterization of our population. This information will include data regarding medical history, current medical variables, medications, and sociodemographic data.
Participants will be approached upon nearing their discharge from the hospital, approximately 30 days after their transplant. Between the time of their discharge and their 100-day post-transplant visit, there will be three check-in/psychosocial support phone calls at weeks 4, 8, and 12 after discharge to build rapport and discuss their recovery. Then, at week 14, participants will meet with the principal investigator to complete self-assessment questionnaires. The participants will then complete an 8-week phone-based positive psychology intervention, at the end of which the self-assessment questionnaires will be repeated.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Positive Psychology | Experimental | Behavioral: Positive Psychology InterventionParticipants will receive check-in/psychosocial support phone calls at weeks four, eight and twelve following enrollment. At approximately 100-days post-HSCT, participants will begin an 8-week positive-psychology program involving weekly calls with an interventionist, in this case the principal investigator, and exercises (i.e. writing a letter of gratitude, identifying personal strengths, planning meaningful and enjoyable activities). Participants will complete self-assessment questionnaires to measure positive affect, health behaviors, and overall function before and after completing the Positive Psychology Intervention. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 90 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Adult patients with hematologic malignancies hospitalized for allogeneic HSCT at the DFCI inpatient units who are medically stable and appropriate for study approach
- Ability to speak, read and write English
- Access to a telephone
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Current major depressive episode, bipolar disorder, psychosis or active substance use disorder diagnosed via the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI)
- Cognitive deficits impeding a study participant's ability to provide informed consent or participate adequately in the study assessed via the Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS)
- Medical conditions precluding interviews
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Positive Psychology InterventionWeekly phone calls with the study interventionist and positive psychology exercises over an 8-week period. The positive psychology program exercises includes three modules: gratitude-based activities, strength-based activities, and meaning-based activities. | Behavioural | Positive Psychology |
Primary outcome
Feasibility of Positive Psychology (PP) Intervention
Time frame: Baseline - week 8 of intervention
Feasibility will be measured by examining the number of completed exercises.
Acceptability of Exercises: Ease Score
Time frame: Baseline - week 8 of intervention
Participants will provide ratings of ease of completion after each PP exercise, measured on a 10-point Likert scale (score range: 0-10, 0 = very difficult and 10 = very easy). Ratings from all 8 weeks were averaged.
Acceptability of Exercises: Utility Score
Time frame: Baseline - week 8 of intervention
Participants will provide ratings of utility of completion after each PP exercise, measured on a 10-point Likert scale (score range: 0-10, 0 = not helpful and 10 = very helpful). Ratings from all 8 weeks were averaged.
7 secondary outcomes
Changes in PANAS Scores
Time frame: Change in score from baseline to 8 weeks
Changes in LOT-R Scores
Time frame: Change in score from baseline to 8 weeks
Changes in HADS Scores
Time frame: Change in score from baseline to 8 weeks
Changes in FACT-BMT Scores
Time frame: Change in score from baseline to 8 weeks
Changes in PROMIS-PF-20 Scores
Time frame: Change in score from baseline to 8 weeks
Immediate Impact of Exercises: Optimism Score
Time frame: Week 1 of intervention - Week 8 of intervention
Immediate Impact of Exercises: Positive Affect Score
Time frame: Week 1 of intervention - Week 8 of intervention
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 11 Aug 2026.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Hermioni Amonoo, MD, MPP, MPH principal investigator
Brigham and Women's Hospital
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Positive Psychology Intervention in people with Hematologic Malignancy and Hematopoietic/Lymphoid Cancer, run by Brigham and Women's Hospital 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 3 inclusion and 3 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 11 Aug 2026. 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?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 19 Jan 2022). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
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?
Feasibility of Positive Psychology (PP) Intervention (time frame: Baseline - week 8 of intervention). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 11 Aug 2026.