Dispositional emotion coping styles and physiological responses to expressive writing

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Psychophysiology

Background:

• Repressors and defensive, high-anxious individuals often present with distinct psychological and health profiles.
• Understanding subjective and objective manifestations of these differences is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare psychological and health characteristics of repressors and defensive, high-anxious individuals using self-reports and objective measures.
• To investigate the impact of expressive writing on physiological markers in these groups.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted: a cross-sectional descriptive study and a randomized controlled trial.
• Participants included 748 undergraduates categorized as repressors, defensive high-anxious, or low-anxious individuals.
• Methods involved self-report questionnaires, salivary cortisol measurements, and analysis of written essays under emotional or non-emotional conditions.

Main Results:

• Defensive, high-anxious individuals reported greater distress, symptoms, and anger expression difficulties than repressors in self-reports.
• Salivary cortisol levels differed significantly between emotional and non-emotional writing conditions, irrespective of coping style.
• No significant differences in cognitive or affective expression were found among groups in written essays.

Conclusions:

• Self-reported data effectively differentiate repressors and defensive, high-anxious individuals regarding psychological traits and health outcomes.
• Objective physiological and expressive measures do not consistently distinguish these groups.
• Expressive writing shows potential for reducing physiological arousal associated with emotional memories.