title: Effects of an expressive writing intervention on a group of public employees subjected to work relocation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pennebaker's writing technique has yielded good results on health, psychological and performance dimensions. In spite of the positive outcomes, the technique has rarely been applied directly within the workplace and its effects on burnout have never been tested.
  
  
  METHODS
  18 public employees subjected to work relocation were asked to write about their present work situation or another difficult event of their life (Writing Group), while another 17 were not assigned any writing task (Control Group).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether there was an improvement in burnout, alexithymia and psychological well-being in the Writing Group compared with the baseline measurement and the Control Group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While the baseline levels in the Writing and Control Groups in the 3 dimensions considered were similar, scores in the Writing Group at both a second (1 month after the end of the procedure) and third measurement (7 months after the end) improved when compared with the baseline, whereas those in the Control Group worsened.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pennebaker's writing technique appears to promote adaptive coping strategies in stressful situations, and to increase occupational and psychological well-being as well as the ability to process emotions. It also appears to buffer the negative effects of work-related stress.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tarquini
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Trani
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Solano
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D019260:Expressed Emotion; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D014956:Writing
keywords: Occupational well-being; alexithymia; burnout; work-related stress