Comparing Targets of Expressive Writing
Purpose
Expressive writing involves writing about one's deepest thoughts and feelings surrounding an emotional event. The current literature on the efficacy of expressive writing is mixed and warrants further investigation into how, when, and for whom expressive writing is an effective intervention. The goal of this study is to compare the efficacy of expressive writing interventions in young adults when people imagine that they're writing to themselves vs. a loved one. Participants will carry out an expressive writing exercise for 14 consecutive days. Participants are randomized into 3 groups: Self, Other, and Control. The Self group is instructed to write as if they were talking to themselves. The Other group is instructed to direct their writing to someone they feel close to. The Control group is asked to write down a factual description of their routine that day, and direct this writing to themselves. We will recruit participants until we have usable data from 53 participants per group (i.e., 159 in total).
Conditions
- Healthy
- Anxiety
- Depression
Eligibility
- Eligible Ages
- Between 18 Years and 25 Years
- Eligible Genders
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- US-based - Fluent English - Combined GAD-7 and PHQ-8 score of ≥ 5
Exclusion Criteria
- "Completion" of a writing session requires participants to spend at least 15 minutes on the writing page. We will monitor completion of the daily writing exercise, and will contact participants who miss or spend less than 15 minutes on the exercise. Participants who fail to complete 3 consecutive daily writing sessions will be deemed non-compliant, removed from the study, and paid a prorated amount for the tasks they have completed in the study.
Study Design
- Phase
- N/A
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel Assignment
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- Single (Participant)
Arm Groups
| Arm | Description | Assigned Intervention |
|---|---|---|
|
Experimental Self |
The Self group is instructed to carry out the expressive writing exercise as if they were writing to themselves. |
|
|
Experimental Other |
The Other group is instructed to carry out the expressive writing exercise as if they were writing to someone they feel close to. |
|
|
Placebo Comparator Control |
The Control group is asked to write down a factual description of their routine that day, as if they were writing to themselves. |
|
Recruiting Locations
More Details
- Status
- Recruiting
- Sponsor
- Trustees of Princeton University
