Poor cognitive-emotional processing may impede the outcome of emotional disclosure interventions.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the potential relevance of alexithymia and induced cognitive-emotional processing for the efficacy of emotional disclosure.


METHODS
Associations were examined of alexithymia and emotional and cognitive word use with self-assessed psychological and disease activity outcome in 37 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (23 females; mean age 58 years).


RESULTS
Cognitive and positive emotion word use during the disclosure sessions predicted improved psychological well-being but not disease activity after the intervention. Negative emotion word use and alexithymia did not significantly predict outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that poor cognitive-emotional processing may impede the outcome of emotional disclosure interventions.
van Middendorp
Henriët
H
Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. H.vanMiddendorp@uu.nl
Geenen
Rinie
R
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000453:epidemiology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012938:Social Perception