The Effect of COVID-Focused Expressive Writing on Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety, and Distress in College Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

IF 1 4区心理学 Q3 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology Pub Date : 2023-06-01 DOI:10.1521/jscp.2023.42.3.238

S. Robertson, Stephen D. Short, Liz Auger, M. Murray

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Abstract

Objective: The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been associated with increased levels of distress for college students. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a COVID-focused expressive writing intervention in reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and distress. Methods: A total of 169 college students were assigned either to a COVID-focused expressive writing intervention or to a nonwriting control group. All participants completed a 1-month follow-up assessment, and all study procedures were completed online due to COVID-19 restrictions. Depression was measured with the Beck Depression Inventory-II, anxiety was measured with the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and distress was measured with a Likert-scale question that measured distress specifically related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Results indicated that participants in the expressive writing group demonstrated a significant decrease (b = -1.35) in anxiety symptoms whereas participants in the control group did not. None of the participants in either group demonstrated a significant decrease in depression symptoms. Ratings of distress in the expressive writing group were significantly lower (d = -0.51) at the 1-month follow-up when compared to the control group. Discussion: COVID-focused expressive writing is a relatively brief and inexpensive intervention that has been associated with lower symptoms of anxiety and distress in college students. Theoretical implications are discussed.

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以新冠肺炎为主题的表达性写作对大学生抑郁、焦虑和痛苦症状的影响:一项随机对照试验

目的:2019年冠状病毒病(COVID-19)大流行与大学生痛苦程度增加有关。本研究旨在评估以covid为中心的表达性写作干预在减轻抑郁、焦虑和痛苦症状方面的效果。方法:共有169名大学生被分配到以covid为中心的表达性写作干预组或非写作对照组。所有参与者完成了为期1个月的随访评估，由于COVID-19的限制，所有研究程序均在线完成。用贝克抑郁量表- ii测量抑郁，用贝克焦虑量表测量焦虑，用李克特量表测量焦虑，该量表测量了与COVID-19大流行特别相关的焦虑。结果:表达性写作组的焦虑症状显著减轻(b = -1.35)，而对照组的焦虑症状无显著减轻。两组的参与者都没有表现出抑郁症状的显著减轻。在1个月的随访中，表达性写作组的痛苦评分明显低于对照组(d = -0.51)。讨论:以新冠肺炎为重点的表达性写作是一种相对简短和廉价的干预措施，与大学生焦虑和痛苦症状的减轻有关。讨论了理论意义。

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来源期刊

Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology Multiple-

CiteScore

2.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： This journal is devoted to the application of theory and research from social psychology toward the better understanding of human adaptation and adjustment, including both the alleviation of psychological problems and distress (e.g., psychopathology) and the enhancement of psychological well-being among the psychologically healthy. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) traditionally defined psychopathology (e.g., depression), common emotional and behavioral problems in living (e.g., conflicts in close relationships), the enhancement of subjective well-being, and the processes of psychological change in everyday life (e.g., self-regulation) and professional settings (e.g., psychotherapy and counseling). Articles reporting the results of theory-driven empirical research are given priority, but theoretical articles, review articles, clinical case studies, and essays on professional issues are also welcome. Articles describing the development of new scales (personality or otherwise) or the revision of existing scales are not appropriate for this journal.