title: Optimizing the perceived benefits and health outcomes of writing about traumatic life events.
abstract: Expressive writing, which involves disclosing one's deepest thoughts and feelings about a stressful life event by using a first-person perspective, has been linked to gains in health and well-being, though effect sizes range widely. Assuming a third-person perspective is a natural and effective way of coping with highly distressing events. Therefore, the current study examined whether a distanced, third-person approach to expressive writing might be more beneficial than a traditional, first-person intervention for high baseline levels of event-linked intrusive thinking. Randomly assigned participants wrote expressively about traumatic life events by using a first-person or third-person-singular perspective. Linguistic analyses showed that assuming a first-person perspective is linked to higher levels of in-text cognitive engagement, whereas a third-person perspective is linked to lower cognitive engagement. However, in a context of higher levels of intrusive thinking, third-person expressive writing, relative to a traditional first-person approach, yielded (1) greater perceived benefits and positive, long-lasting effects as well as (2) fewer days of activity restriction due to illness. Although more research is needed, these results suggest that third-person expressive writing may be an especially fitting technique for recovering from traumatic or highly stressful life events.
authors.affiliation: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. matthew-andersson@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Matthew A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: Colleen S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Conley
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008037:Linguistics; D008297:Male; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012650:Self Disclosure; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D013850:Thinking; D014956:Writing; D055815:Young Adult