title: The effects of expressive writing on pain, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in survivors of intimate partner violence.
abstract: This study examined the effects of expressive writing on depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and pain symptoms among women who have survived intimate partner violence (IPV). Forty-seven women completed baseline and four-month follow-up assessments and were randomly assigned to four writing sessions of either expressive writing focused on traumatic life events or writing about a neutral topic. Main effects were not significant for changes in depression, pain or PTSD symptoms. However, among depressed women, those assigned to expressive writing showed a significantly greater drop in depression. For depressed women with IPV histories, expressive writing may lead to reduced depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA. Koopman@stanford.edu
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Koopman
authors.forename: Tasneem
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ismailji
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: Catherine C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Classen
authors.forename: Oxana
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Palesh
authors.forename: Talor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wales
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014956:Writing