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Differential health effects of written processing of the experience of a surgical operation in high‐ and low‐risk conditions
Author(s) -
Solano Luigi,
Pepe Luisa,
Donati Valentina,
Persichetti Stefano,
Laudani Guido,
Colaci Andrea
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.20355
Subject(s) - psychology
The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the writing technique on postoperative course in interaction with different levels of risk. Participants were 40 urologic inpatients waiting to undergo transurethral resection of the prostate, with different levels of surgical risk as assessed with the Goldman Preoperative Risk Index (L. Goldman et al., 1978). Only 20 participants wrote for 3 days about the experience of being in the hospital. Measures were days of stay in the hospital after the operation, the Symptom Check List (SCL‐90; L. R. Derogatis, 1977; Italian version: G. Magni, C. Messina, D. De Leo, A. Mosconi, & M. Carli, 1983) scores, and a medical evaluation of postoperative course. A significant positive effect of writing on all three dependent variables emerged only in low‐risk participants. High‐risk writing participants showed a nonsignificantly worse postoperative course on all parameters than did high‐risk nonwriting participants. In highly stressful conditions, writing therefore should be employed only with caution. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 63: 357–369, 2007.