Premium
Who does expressive writing work for? Examination of alexithymia, splitting, and repressive coping style as moderators of the expressive writing paradigm
Author(s) -
Baikie Karen A.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
british journal of health psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 2044-8287
pISSN - 1359-107X
DOI - 10.1348/135910707x250893
Subject(s) - alexithymia , psychology , coping (psychology) , personality , style (visual arts) , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , social psychology , psychotherapist , art , visual arts
Objective. This paper examines the moderating influence of alexithymia, splitting, and repressive coping style in the expressive writing paradigm. Method. Eighty‐eight university students randomized to four weekly 20‐minute expressive or neutral writing sessions, with 1‐month follow‐up. Results. Expressive writing was more beneficial for individuals scoring higher on alexithymia and splitting, but not repressive coping. Conclusions. Future research should include personality measures in explorations of expressive writing to further understand the boundary conditions of the expressive writing paradigm.