Virtual Poetry Workshops to Enhance Patient Well Being and Reduce Anxiety
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Ohio State University
- Where
- Columbus, United StatesSee the site
- Trial code
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 80 people, planned
- Started
- 17 Jul 2026
- Expected to end
- 31 Dec 2028
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Poetry
- Poetry Manual
- Record updated
- 21 July 2026
Who can take part
- Age
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- Women and men
- Healthy volunteers
- Cannot take part
The registry criteria, word for word
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Who can take part
- • At least 18 years old; Ability to provide informed consent; Able to speak and understand English; Able to attend virtual poetry workshops; Willing to share at least 3 poems at the end of the study with the study team; Have access to a high-speed internet connection and smart phone or computer; Willing to participate in group activity if randomized to the facilitated workshops; At least moderate dyspepsia assessed by the Dyspepsia questionnaire (at least one of the following symptoms with moderate or worse severity- nausea, vomiting, early satiety, post prandial fullness AND; At least moderate anxiety or depression assessed by HADS questionnaire. The HADS score has 2 subscores- HADS-A for anxiety and HADS-D for depression. A score of ≥ 21 indicates moderate anxiety and will be required to be eligible for the study
Who cannot take part
- Younger than 18 years old
- Unable to speak English or participate in virtual sessions
Where in United States
- Ohio State University Wexner Medical CenterColumbus, United StatesContact: Subhankar Chakraborty, MD, Ph.D.Taking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
This study examines whether participating in poetry workshops can improve emotional well-being among patients with chronic digestive symptoms. Many individuals with long-standing digestive conditions experience distress, anxiety, isolation, and difficulty expressing their emotions in clinical settings. These emotional challenges can negatively affect daily life, relationships, and overall health.
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Poetry writing offers a creative and supportive way for participants to explore their feelings, express their experiences, and build emotional resilience. It also allows individuals to focus on aspects of their identity beyond their illness.
The purpose of this research is to evaluate whether poetry workshops can reduce anxiety, lessen feelings of isolation, and strengthen participants' sense of community and well being.
1. Why is this study being done?
The purpose of this research study is to offer a creative outlet for patients to explore their identity and story, build resilience, and seek hope. This study is being done because we understand that the psychological discomfort that can come upon hearing a diagnosis can lead to increased anxiety levels, negatively impacting a patient's well-being and relationships. Often healthcare practitioners may merely view a patient through the lens of their diagnosis, neglecting other aspects of their identity and humanity. Through reading various poems, crafting their own poems, and sharing their work with their peers, we hope the workshops offer a comforting opportunity for the participants to explore their identities and creativity.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Experimental groupTreatment being tested
Participants selected for the facilitated poetry workshop will meet once a week for approximately 1.5 hours via Zoom. Before each workshop, participants will complete a survey evaluating their general emotional state. Each session will begin with a 10-minute warm-up relating to the workshop's theme to ease the participants into the workshop and to cultivate a comfortable environment for the participants to discuss with one another. The warmup will be followed by the facilitator reading a poem and a discussion of the poem. This discussion will pertain to the participants' initial thoughts and emotions upon hearing the poem. Afterwards, participants will have the opportunity to craft their own poem and share their art with their fellow participants. The workshop will close with a final reading of the poem by one of the participants. At the end of each workshop, patients will complete a survey evaluating their emotional state,
Treatment: Poetry
- Control GroupExisting treatment, for comparison
Participants will be provided with a manual with the selected poems, reflection questions, and writing prompts. In accordance with the 8-week schedule followed by the facilitated poetry workshops, participants in the control group will partake in each of the 8 workshops and complete the surveys outside of the scheduled virtual group sessions. The last workshop will be conducted in an interview-style format. After every two workshops, a member of the research team will call each participant to check in on their progress.
Treatment: Poetry Manual
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Poetry Workshops to Enhance Patient Well-Being and Reduce Anxiety Levels
- Record updated
- 21 July 2026