The Behavioral Medicine Research Lab regularly conducts research studies in which it actively recruits subjects to participate in ground-breaking research. 

A Biobehavioral Intervention to Reduce Adverse Outcomes in Young Adult Testicular Cancer Survivors

UCI IRB HS# 2018-5812

This study was designed to adapt and test a type of counseling called Goal-focused Emotion-regulation Therapy (GET). Our team is interested in how young men navigate life goals and manage their emotions after testicular cancer. We would also like to learn more about biological factors—like stress hormones—that may affect one’s emotional and physical health. This study will help us better understand quality of life needs and further develop the GET program, in the hopes of providing this service to more young cancer survivors.

All young adult men diagnosed with testicular cancer who have completed their primary treatment in the past two years may be eligible to participate. If you decide to participate, you will be asked to collect saliva samples at home and complete online questionnaires before and after the study. Participation also involves attending 6 online counseling sessions provided by a trained interventionist. There are two study groups, and you will be assigned to one at random.
You would receive $50 for each of the four assessments (before the study, directly after the study, 3 months after the study, and 6 months after the study) for a total of up to $200.

Click here for instructional video on at-home saliva collection


A Biobehavioral Intervention for Latino/Hispanic Young Adults with Testicular Cancer

UCI IRB HS# 2020-5703

The purpose of this research study is to adapt and test a type of coaching or counseling called Goal-focused Emotion-regulation Therapy (GET) for young adults. Its purpose is to focus on how young men navigate life goals and manage their emotions after testicular cancer. We would also like to learn about biological factors like stress hormones that may affect one’s emotional and physical well-being.  This study will allow us to better understand young men’s quality of life needs, and further develop a program to provide services to survivors.

All young adult Latino men diagnosed with testicular cancer who have completed their primary treatment in the past two years may be eligible to participate. If you decide to participate, you will be asked to complete questionnaires online and to collect saliva samples and oral swabs at home over 4 days. You will receive 6 coaching or counseling sessions via an online video platform. After the last session, you will be asked to complete additional questionnaires online, and again provide samples of saliva at home over 4 days. Some will be chosen to also take part in an interview to provide feedback on their experience at the end.

You would receive $50 for each of the 3 assessment sessions, and an additional $25 for the optional interview for a total of up to $175.

Click here for instructional video on at-home saliva collection


Inflammatory Processes, Emotion Regulation, and Depression in Prostate Cancer Survivors

UCI IRB HS# 2018-4643

The purpose of this research study is to better understand how various factors, such as coping strategies and the workings of the immune system, may be related to quality of life and mental health in the year following treatment for prostate cancer. The results of this study may help to allow us to design services that will be helpful for men with prostate cancer.

All men diagnosed with prostate cancer who are scheduled for surgery or to begin radiation therapy may be eligible to participate. If you decide to participate, your participation in the research may include an initial visit with a member of the research team, where you will be asked to complete an interview, questionnaires, and to provide a sample of blood. The session could take up to 2 hours. You would be asked to complete a series of 7 follow-up visits in the 1-year after you complete your surgery or radiation treatment. Two of these sessions would be scheduled in-person and would include completing questionnaires, interviews, and providing a sample of blood. The other 5 sessions can be done by telephone and also involve completing questionnaires and interview questions. These will take approximately 1 hour.

You would receive $25 for each of the 3 in-person sessions and $15 for the 5 telephone sessions – for a total of up to $150.


Sleep Quality in Young Adult Informal Caregivers

UCI IRB HS# 2020-6375

The current study is designed to contribute to our understanding of the unique stress and coping experiences of young adult informal caregivers from their non-caregiving peers. The primary purpose is to assess the overall sleep quality of young adult informal caregivers relative to non-caregivers(study part 1) and to distinguish daily sleep patterns between ethnic minority and non-ethnic minority caregivers (study part 2). 
Thus, this study is driven by the following hypotheses: First, we hypothesized that informal caregivers will have poorer subjective sleep quality than demographically similar non-caregiving young adults. Second, we expect to observe poorer daily sleep quality and more dysregulated mood among ethnic minority caregivers relative to white caregivers. Finally, we expect to observe an ethnic minority status by sleep quality interaction such that ethnic minority caregivers with poorer sleep will exhibit greater inflammation. We will also examine the role of risk and resilience factors in exploratory analyses.

Students may be compensated up to 3 SONA credits for their participation. For more information please follow this link: Sona Link


Comparing Stress-Related Biomarkers for Biobehavioral Research

UCI IRB# 293

A number of stress- and immune system-related biomarkers are of common focus in biobehavioral research studies. These biomarkers are often measured in differing biological fluids across studies. These include measurement from saliva, plasma (blood), and oral mucosal transudate (OMT) (which is extracted from a swab of the gums in the mouth). However, few studies have attempted to simultaneously measure biomarkers from the various biological fluids in the same study making it difficult to contextualize findings across the literature. A primary goal of this research is to specify, test, and compare the results of commonly used biomarkers as measured from saliva, OMT, and plasma. Biomarker associations with various aspects of mood, emotional experience, and coping will also be examined. Participants will be primarily recruited from the social science undergraduate research subject pool (SONA system).

Students may be compensated up to 2.5 SONA credits for their participation. For more information, please follow this link: Sona Link


Transitioning Young Adult Cancer Survivors to Adult-focused Care

UCI IRB# 779 / CHOC IRB# 2207113

The purpose of this research study is to better understand cognitive and emotional factors influencing readiness for transition to adult care among young adult cancer survivors.

All young adult cancer survivors between the ages of 18-26 who are transitioning out of pediatric care settings may be eligible to participate. If you decide to participate, your participation in the research will include a one-time online questionnaire via REDCap.

You would receive a $25 Target or Amazon gift card for completing the questionnaire.