Effects of written emotional disclosure on health outcomes in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Hamilton-West, Kate E.; Quine, Lyn

doi:10.1080/14768320601020246

Cited by 13 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Among those, numerical results were derived from graphs in nine studies. 51,53,56,70,85,103,110,114,121 Several studies under-reported the numerical data (e.g. reporting the mean with no measure of variability, such as the SD) or used different statistics [such as the median, together with confidence intervals (CIs) and/or ranges or the mean together with the SE] to report the results.…”

Section: Systematic Review Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There were six studies 107,[113][114][115][116][117] evaluating unfacilitated EW in inflammatory arthropathy patients. A summary of main characteristics is presented in 113 included a second intervention group to assess the impact of EW about the meaning of the trauma.…”

Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, in Hamilton-West and Quine, 114 results regarding disease activity [Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Functional Index (BASFI)] were not adequately reported. Mean values were derived from a graph without no information regarding variability and no other data were provided among the outcomes a priori evaluated.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Differences between groups by time interaction were reported for the following outcomes -BASFI, PANAS, Disease Activity Score (DAS) and the Profile of Mood States Short Form (POMS-SF) -in Hamilton-West and Quine, 114 Lumley et al, 115 Smyth et al 107 and Wetherell et al, 117 respectively (see Table 57). In Hamilton-West and Quine 114 the functional status (measured using BASFI) was reported as statistically greater at 3-month follow-up in the EW group than with the control subjects.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Does therapeutic writing help people with long-term conditions? Systematic review, realist synthesis and economic considerations

Nyssen

Taylor

Wong

et al. 2016

Health Technol Assess

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundWriting therapy to improve physical or mental health can take many forms. The most researched model of therapeutic writing (TW) is unfacilitated, individual expressive writing (written emotional disclosure). Facilitated writing activities are less widely researched.Data sourcesDatabases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Linguistics and Language Behaviour Abstracts, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, were searched from inception to March 2013 (updated January 2015).Review methodsFour TW practitioners provided expert advice. Study procedures were conducted by one reviewer and checked by a second. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomised comparative studies were included. Quality was appraised using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. Unfacilitated and facilitated TW studies were analysed separately underInternational Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision chapter headings. Meta-analyses were performed where possible using RevMan version 5.2.6 (RevMan 2012, The Cochrane Collaboration, The Nordic Cochrane Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark). Costs were estimated from a UK NHS perspective and three cost–consequence case studies were prepared. Realist synthesis followed Realist and Meta-narrative Evidence Synthesis: Evolving Standards guidelines.ObjectivesTo review the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of TW for people with long-term conditions (LTCs) compared with no writing, or other controls, reporting any relevant clinical outcomes. To conduct a realist synthesis to understand how TW might work, and for whom.ResultsFrom 14,658 unique citations, 284 full-text papers were reviewed and 64 studies (59 RCTs) were included in the final effectiveness reviews. Five studies examined facilitated TW; these were extremely heterogeneous with unclear or high risk of bias but suggested that facilitated TW interventions may be beneficial in individual LTCs. Unfacilitated expressive writing was examined in 59 studies of variable or unreported quality. Overall, there was very little or no evidence of any benefit reported in the following conditions (number of studies): human immunodeficiency virus (six); breast cancer (eight); gynaecological and genitourinary cancers (five); mental health (five); asthma (four); psoriasis (three); and chronic pain (four). In inflammatory arthropathies (six) there was a reduction in disease severity [n = 191, standardised mean difference (SMD) –0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) –0.96 to –0.26] in the short term on meta-analysis of four studies. For all other LTCs there were either no data, or sparse data with no or inconsistent, evidence of benefit. Meta-analyses conducted acrossallof the LTCs provided no evidence that unfacilitated emotional writing had any effect on depression at short- (n = 1563, SMD –0.06, 95% CI –0.29 to 0.17, substantial heterogeneity) or long-term (n = 778, SMD –0.04 95% CI –0.18 to 0.10, little heterogeneity) follow-up, or on anxiety, physiological or biomarker-based outcomes. One study reported costs, no studies reported cost-effectiveness and 12 studies reported resource use; and meta-analysis suggested reduced medication use but no impact on health centre visits. Estimated costs of intervention were low, but there was insufficient evidence to judge cost-effectiveness. Realist synthesis findings suggested that facilitated TW is a complex intervention and group interaction contributes to the perception of benefit. It was unclear from the available data who might benefit most from facilitated TW.LimitationDifficulties with developing realist synthesis programme theory meant that mechanisms operating during TW remain obscure.ConclusionsOverall, there is little evidence to support the therapeutic effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of unfacilitated expressive writing interventions in people with LTCs. Further research focused on facilitated TW in people with LTCs could be informative.Study registrationThis study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42012003343.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

show abstract

Section: Systematic Review Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Does therapeutic writing help people with long-term conditions? Systematic review, realist synthesis and economic considerations

Nyssen

Taylor

Wong

et al. 2016

Health Technol Assess

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Previous studies have shown that expressive writing delivers numerous benefits, including reductions in distress (Barry & Singer, 2001), decreases in fatigue, tension, and upper respiratory symptoms (Lepore & Greenberg, 2002), and improvements in functional status (Hamilton-West & Quine, 2007). It is believed that experimental disclosure interventions help people free their minds of unwanted thoughts, make sense of upsetting events, better regulate their emotions, habituate to negative emotions, and improve their connections to their social world.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Opening up in the classroom: Effects of expressive writing on graduate school entrance exam performance.

Frattaroli

Michael

Lyubomirsky

2011

Emotion

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Our study sought to determine whether experimental disclosure could improve exam performance and psychological health in students taking a graduate school entrance exam. Students preparing for the GRE, MCAT, LSAT, or PCAT were randomly assigned to write expressively about their upcoming exam or to a neutral writing condition. Participants completed measures of depressive symptoms and test anxiety before and after writing, and exam scores were collected. The experimental disclosure group had significantly higher test scores and significantly lower pre-exam depressive symptoms than the neutral writing group. Although benefits for depressive symptoms were found in expressive writers regardless of exam type, the advantage of expressive writing for test performance was only observed in students taking the MCAT or LSAT.

show abstract

Effects of Emotional Disclosure in Caregivers: Moderating Role of Alexithymia

2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Caregivers have been found to experience high levels of depression and anxiety. This study explored the efficacy of two writing interventions aimed at reducing psychological distress in informal caregivers and examined the moderating effects of alexithymia. Caregivers (N = 150) were randomly assigned to (1) write about the stress related to being a caregiver, (2) write about positive life experiences or (3) write about a control topic for 20 min on 3 days at home. Depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed at baseline, 2 weeks, 2 months and 6 months post‐intervention. Analysis of variance for a mixed design revealed no main effects of writing condition on the follow‐up measures. However, among caregivers with lower scores on alexithymia, those who wrote about positive experiences reported less anxiety and/or depression on follow‐ups at 2 weeks, at 2 months and at 6 months. Moreover, in the control condition, less anxiety was reported by caregivers with lower scores on alexithymia at 2 weeks and at 6 months. No effects of stress disclosure were observed; therefore, writing about caregiver stress should not be encouraged in this vulnerable group. These findings highlight the importance of examining moderating factors, such as individual differences variables as well as exploring the efficacy of alternative writing interventions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

show abstract

Effects of written emotional disclosure on health outcomes in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Cited by 13 publications

References 38 publications

Does therapeutic writing help people with long-term conditions? Systematic review, realist synthesis and economic considerations

Does therapeutic writing help people with long-term conditions? Systematic review, realist synthesis and economic considerations

Opening up in the classroom: Effects of expressive writing on graduate school entrance exam performance.

Effects of Emotional Disclosure in Caregivers: Moderating Role of Alexithymia

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About