Objectives: This study tested the effects of emotional disclosure writing and peer helping writing in reducing psychological distress among Chinese international students. This study also examined whether rumination and ambivalence over emotion expression moderated the effects of emotional disclosure and peer helping writing.Method: One hundred forty-four Chinese international students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: emotional disclosure, peer helping, or neutral control writing. Participants completed two 20-min writing sessions and questionnaires at baseline, 2-month follow-up, and 4-month follow-up.Results: We found no significant differences across the three writing conditions in levels of psychological distress over time. However, rumination emerged as a significant moderator in both emotional disclosure and peer helping intervention conditions. High ruminators generally experienced significant reductions in depressive symptoms, whereas low ruminators experienced increased depressive symptoms.Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that the benefits of writing interventions may vary as a function of rumination.
Objectives: The present study has two aims: (a) to examine the frequency of various microaggression types experienced by Asian and Black Americans and (b) to examine cognitive reappraisal as a moderator of the relationship between microaggression types and general health. Method: Two hundred seventy-one Black and Asian American participants recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk completed a crosssectional online survey. The Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions Scale was used to assess the frequency with which participants experienced six different types of microaggressions. Cognitive reappraisal was assessed by the cognitive reappraisal subscale of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. General health was assessed by the RAND 36-item Short Form Health Survey. Results: We found that Black Americans experienced higher levels of Inferiority, Criminality, Workplace/School Microaggressions and Microinvalidations than Asian Americans. In contrast, Asian Americans experienced greater Exoticization and Environmental Microaggressions. There were ethnic/racial group differences in whether cognitive reappraisal moderated the relationships between microaggression types and general health. Conclusions: Our findings highlight important differences in the types of microaggressions experienced across ethnic/racial groups, and the role of cognitive reappraisal in influencing the detrimental effects of microaggressions on general health.
Public Significance StatementOur findings highlight important differences in the types of microaggressions experienced across ethnic/racial groups, and the role of cognitive reappraisal in influencing the detrimental effects of microaggressions on general health.
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