Does narrative writing instruction enhance the benefits of expressive writing?
We examined whether instructing participants to write in a narrative fashion about stressful life events would produce superior physical and psychological health benefits relative to standard expressive writing instructions that do not specify the essay's structure. Undergraduates (N=101) were randomly assigned to engage in two, 20-minute narrative writing, standard expressive writing, or control writing tasks. Follow-up data were obtained one month later. The essays of the narrative writing group evidenced higher levels of narrative structure than did those of the expressive writing group. Greater narrative structure was associated with mental health gains, and self-rated emotionality of the essays was associated with lesser perceived stress at follow-up. In addition, the narrative and expressive writing groups reported lower levels of perceived stress and depressive symptoms relative to controls but did not differ from each other with regard to these outcomes. Health care utilization at follow-up did not vary by group assignment. Findings suggest that both emotional expression and narrative structure may be key factors underlying expressive writing's mental health benefits. Results also suggest that, among college students, instruction in narrative formation does not increase the positive effects of expressive writing relative to standard expressive writing instructions.
Danoff-Burg
Sharon
S
Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA.
Mosher
Catherine E
CE
Seawell
Asani H
AH
Agee
John D
JD
D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D044469:Racial Groups; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities; D014956:Writing; D055815:Young Adult
Psychosom Med. 2004 Mar-Apr;66(2):174-83
15039501
Am J Health Promot. 1992 Mar-Apr;6(4):280-7
10146806
Health Psychol. 2006 Mar;25(2):181-9
16569109
J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2008 Dec;39(4):558-66
18346712
Anxiety Stress Coping. 2009 Oct;22(5):509-23
19333797
J Pers Soc Psychol. 1997 Apr;72(4):863-71
9108699
J Clin Psychol. 1999 Oct;55(10):1243-54
11045774
Patient Educ Couns. 2007 May;66(2):177-87
17336025
JAMA. 1999 Apr 14;281(14):1304-9
10208146
J Abnorm Psychol. 2000 Feb;109(1):156-60
10740948
Psychol Bull. 2006 Nov;132(6):823-65
17073523
Br J Health Psychol. 2008 Feb;13(Pt 1):81-4
18230237
Ment Health Serv Res. 2005 Mar;7(1):5-20
15832690
J Trauma Stress. 2001 Oct;14(4):781-90
11776424
Ann Intern Med. 2001 May 1;134(9 Pt  2):905-11
11346327
Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2002 Winter;32(4):428-40
12501967
Ann Behav Med. 2004 Feb;27(1):50-9
14979863
J Consult Clin Psychol. 1998 Feb;66(1):174-84
9489272
Br J Health Psychol. 2008 Feb;13(Pt 1):85-93
18230238
J Health Soc Behav. 1983 Dec;24(4):385-96
6668417
J Consult Clin Psychol. 2003 Oct;71(5):901-9
14516238
J Health Soc Behav. 1980 Jun;21(2):134-45
7391528
J Clin Oncol. 2002 Oct 15;20(20):4160-8
12377959
J Exp Psychol Gen. 2001 Sep;130(3):520-33
11561925
J Consult Clin Psychol. 2006 Apr;74(2):243-52
16649869
J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2000 Feb;41(2):151-9
10750541
Fam Pract. 2002 Apr;19(2):161-6
11906981
Ann Behav Med. 2002 Summer;24(3):244-50
12173682
Psychosom Med. 2004 Mar-Apr;66(2):272-5
15039514