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Can writing ease the emotional toll of paralysis?

NCT ID NCT04721717

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of Alabama at Birmingham Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
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Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 25, 2026 · Last updated Sep 25, 2026

Summary

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are testing an expressive writing workshop for adults living with paralysis from conditions such as spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, or ALS. The workshop guides participants through emotional writing exercises. The study measures changes in grief, depression, stress, sleep, resilience, and quality of life to see whether this approach helps.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
expressive emotional writing workshop
What this could lead to
If it works, expressive writing could become a low-cost way to help people with paralysis manage grief, stress, and sleep problems.
What could go wrong
Writing workshops may not ease distress for everyone, and the study measures changes over a short period. Benefits seen in a small group may not hold up in larger, longer studies.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

95 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Sep 2020

Finished

Apr 2025

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

Sex: both Race/Ethnicity: all Age: aged 18 years or above Health status: Healthy

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age 18 or older with paralysis living in the community 2. limb paralysis resulting from a traumatic event/accident or neurological disease (e.g., spinal cord injury, head injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Transverse myelitis, poliomyelitis, peripheral neuropathy, Parkinson's disease, ALS, botulism, and Guillain-Barré syndrome etc) happened after childhood 3. a non-traumatic spinal cord injury may be caused by arthritis, cancer, inflammation, infections or disk degeneration of the spine 4. caregivers of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 5. able to communicate verbally or through writing Exclusion Criteria: 1. known maladaptive behavioral patterns, exhibition of overt psychotic symptoms (e.g., presence of hallucinations, delusions, or thought disorders) 2. congenital (e.g., spinal bifida, cerebral palsy)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

acute transverse myelitis amyotrophic lateral sclerosis multiple sclerosis palsy spinal cord injury transverse myelitis

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Multiple sclerosis Spinal cord injuries Transverse myelitis

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • 354 School of Health Professions Building

    Birmingham, Alabama, 35294, United States

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