ERIC Number: EJ733892
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-Jun
Pages: 6
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-006X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Further Examination of the Exposure Model Underlying the Efficacy of Written Emotional Disclosure
Sloan, Denise M.; Marx, Brian P.; Epstein, Eva M.
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, v73 n3 p549-554 Jun 2005
In the current study, the authors examined the effects of systematically varying the writing instructions for the written emotional disclosure procedure. College undergraduates with a trauma history and at least moderate posttraumatic stress symptoms were asked to write about (a) the same traumatic experience, (b) different traumatic experiences, or (c) nontraumatic everyday events across 3 written disclosure sessions. Results show that participants who wrote about the same traumatic experience reported significant reductions in psychological and physical symptoms at follow-up assessments compared with other participants. These findings suggest that written emotional disclosure may be most effective when individuals are instructed to write about the same traumatic or stressful event at each writing session, a finding consistent with exposure-based treatments.
Descriptors: Writing Instruction, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Undergraduate Students, Outcomes of Treatment, Self Disclosure (Individuals), Clinical Psychology, Emotional Response, Writing (Composition)
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5540; Fax: 202-336-5549; e-mail: journals@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org/journals.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A