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Optimizing the Perceived Benefits and Health Outcomes of Writing about Traumatic Life Events
Author(s) -
Andersson Matthew A.,
Conley Colleen S.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
stress and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1532-2998
pISSN - 1532-3005
DOI - 10.1002/smi.2423
Subject(s) - psychology , perspective (graphical) , feeling , cognitive reappraisal , coping (psychology) , cognition , context (archaeology) , autobiographical memory , intervention (counseling) , third person , social psychology , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , psychotherapist , psychiatry , paleontology , artificial intelligence , computer science , psychoanalysis , biology
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. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.