title: Does self-affirmation, cognitive processing, or discovery of meaning explain cancer-related health benefits of expressive writing?
abstract: Although expressive writing has positive effects on health, little is known about the underlying psychological mechanisms for these effects. The present study assessed self-affirmation, cognitive processing, and discovery of meaning as potential mediators of the effects of expressive writing on physical health in early-stage breast cancer survivors. A content analysis of the essays showed that self-affirmation writing was associated with fewer physical symptoms at a 3-month follow-up assessment, with self-affirmation writing fully mediating the effects of the emotional expression and benefit-finding writing conditions on reduced physical symptoms. Cognitive processing and discovery of meaning writing were not associated with any physical health outcomes. Consistent with evidence showing that self-affirmation plays an important role in buffering stress, the present study provides the first evidence for self-affirmation as a viable mechanism underlying the health benefits of expressive writing.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Department of Psychology, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, USA. creswell@ucla.edu
authors.forename: J David
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Creswell
authors.forename: Suman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Annette L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Stanton
authors.forename: Shelley E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Julienne E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bower
authors.forename: David K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Sherman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms; D003071:Cognition; D019260:Expressed Emotion; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012649:Self Concept; D012660:Semantics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014705:Verbal Behavior