Light Therapy to Treat Depression in Pediatric Stem Cell Therapy Recipients

Launched by ST. JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL · Jul 3, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, titled "Light Therapy to Treat Depression in Pediatric Stem Cell Therapy Recipients," is exploring the use of light therapy to help children and teenagers who are about to undergo a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Many young patients who receive this kind of treatment experience feelings of depression, tiredness, and trouble sleeping. The main goal of the study is to see if light therapy can effectively reduce depression in these patients. Researchers will also look at how this therapy affects fatigue and sleep quality, and they will gather feedback from participants and their caregivers about their experiences with the therapy.

To be eligible for this trial, participants must be between 8 and 17 years old and have an HSCT scheduled within the next week or so. They should also be able to read and write in English or Spanish and be willing to sign consent forms. It's important to note that some individuals may not qualify, such as those who are completely blind or taking certain medications. If you or your child decide to participate, you can expect to use light therapy glasses and share your experiences with the research team, which will help them understand how well this treatment works and how it can be improved.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Age ≥8 to \<18 years of age at the time of enrollment
• • Allogeneic HSCT planned to occur between 7 and 10 days in the future from recruitment
• • Patient and/or primary caregiver reads and writes in English or Spanish
• • Participant/guardian is willing to sign informed consent
• • Optional interview participants must be English speaking
• • Baseline self-report of depressive symptoms on the PROMIS® Pediatric Depressive Symptoms v3.0 (PROMIS-PedDepSx) ≥ 55
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Taking photosensitizing medications
• • Total blindness / complete lack of light perception bilaterally
• • Significant physiological or psychological impairment that interferes with participation
• • Any patient that, in the opinion of the primary investigator is not appropriate for the study
• • Inability or unwillingness of research participant or legal guardian/representative to give written informed consent.
• • Non-English-speaking participants will not be eligible for the optional qualitative interview
• • Baseline self-report of depressive symptoms on the PROMIS® Pediatric Depressive Symptoms v3.0 (PROMIS-PedDepSx) \< 55