A systematic review of 51 studies on positive expressive writing interventions has found that these techniques can improve mental health outcomes in non-clinical adult populations. The research aimed to examine the effects of positive expressive writing on psychological and subjective well-being, as well as physical health measures.
Types of Positive Expressive Writing
The review included studies that utilized various forms of positive expressive writing, such as:
- Gratitude journals
- Self-reflection exercises
These interventions were compared to control conditions where participants either did not engage in any form of writing or received a different type of intervention.
Key Findings
Psychological and Subjective Well-Being
- Across all types of positive expressive writing, psychological and subjective well-being outcomes consistently improved compared to controls.
- This suggests that these interventions can be effective in promoting overall mental health.
Physical Health Measures
- The effects on physical health measures were more variable:
- Some studies found significant improvements in anxiety symptoms at post-intervention or follow-up assessments compared to controls.
- Other studies reported no improvement at follow-up compared to controls.
Depression Measures
- Depression measures generally showed no effect at post-intervention but revealed small reductions at longer-term follow-ups compared to baseline values before starting treatment.
- This indicates that while positive expressive writing may not immediately alleviate depression symptoms, it could contribute to long-term improvements.
Individual Differences
Individual differences among participants may significantly influence the effectiveness of these interventions. Further research is needed to fully understand these variations and optimize the benefits of positive expressive writing for mental health promotion.
Limitations
One potential limitation of this study is its reliance on self-reported data from participants’ questionnaires and diaries rather than objective measurements such as physiological markers or behavioral observations. Additionally, many included studies had small sample sizes, which may have limited their statistical power and ability to detect statistically significant effects between groups over time.
Conclusion
This systematic review provides evidence for the effectiveness of positive expressive writing interventions in improving mental health outcomes among non-clinical adult populations, particularly those with varying levels of anxiety symptomatology but without a clinical depression diagnosis prior to treatment initiation.
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