Breaking Silence Through Story: A Narrative Medicine Intervention for Parents of Children With Urogenital Conditions
Who can join
Ages 18 and older · All sexes · Healthy volunteers welcome
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Parent or legal guardian of a child (age 0-17 years) diagnosed with a urogenital condition (such as differences of sex development or hypospadias) * Able to read and understand English * Willing to complete a guided journaling intervention (through writing or dictation) over a period of approximately 5 weeks * Willing to participate in a 45 minute follow-up interview * Able to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Parent/guardian with severe psychiatric disorder that would interfere with participation as determined by referring physician * Parent/guardian unable to complete either written journaling activities or dictation * Inability to provide informed consent
About the study
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a journaling intervention can reduce stress and anxiety in parents of children with urogenital conditions (such as differences of sex development and hypospadias).
The main questions it aims to answer are:
* Does guided journaling help to reduce anxiety levels in parents of children with urogenital conditions? * What are parents' perspectives on group-based writing interventions for future support programs?
Participants will:
* Complete a short anxiety questionnaire (the General Anxiety Disorder-7 scale) at the beginning of the study * Receive a physical journal with 5 writing prompts designed to help process emotions related to their child's condition * Complete 5 journal entries over several weeks, writing about their experiences and feelings * Complete the same anxiety questionnaire again after finishing the journal entries * Participate in a 45-minute interview to discuss how the journaling affected their stress levels and gather feedback on potential group-based writing programs
What is being tested
- Narrative Medicine Journaling Intervention (behavioral)
Sponsor: Sarah Schlegel · Participants: 20 · Started: Oct 10, 2025
Contact the study team
- Alex Wheelock · Phone: 617-919-7031
- Sarah Schlegel, MD, MS · Phone: 617-355-3523
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT06989593
Locations in the U.S.
| Massachusetts | Boston Children's Hospital, Boston |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.