Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Written emotional expression: effect sizes, outcome types, and moderating variables

J M Smyth1

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York, Stony Brook 11794-8790, USA. jsmyth@mail.psychiatry.sunysb.edu

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
|March 7, 1998
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Psychosocial distress predicts diabetes: is additional research warranted?

Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association·2009
Same author

Intravenous indometacin in preterm infants with symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus. A population pharmacokinetic study.

British journal of clinical pharmacology·2004
Same author

Sexual trauma and personality: developmental vulnerability and additive effects.

Journal of personality disorders·2002
Same author

Structured writing about stressful events: exploring potential psychological mediators of positive health effects.

Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association·2000
Same author

Written disclosure: evidence, potential mechanism, and potential treatment.

Advances in mind-body medicine·1999
Same author

Daily psychosocial factors predict levels and diurnal cycles of asthma symptomatology and peak flow.

Journal of behavioral medicine·1999

Writing about emotions improves health in four key areas: physical, psychological, physiological, and general functioning. This expressive writing intervention enhanced well-being but did not affect health behaviors.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Health Psychology
  • Behavioral Medicine

Background:

  • Expressive writing is a psychological intervention.
  • The link between emotional expression and physical health is a growing area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To synthesize research on the effects of written emotional expression on health outcomes.
  • To identify factors that moderate the relationship between expressive writing and health.

Main Methods:

  • A research synthesis was conducted.
  • Studies examining the impact of a written emotional expression task on health were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Written emotional expression significantly improved health outcomes in healthy participants.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Health improvements were observed in reported physical health, psychological well-being, physiological functioning, and general functioning.
  • Health behaviors were not influenced by the writing task, and immediate distress increased but was unrelated to health outcomes.

    • Conclusions:

    • Expressive writing is an effective intervention for enhancing multiple dimensions of health.
    • The effectiveness of expressive writing is influenced by participant characteristics, study design, and writing instructions.