Emotional Disclosure Through Journal Writing: Telehealth Intervention for Maternal Stress and Mother–Child Relationships
Abstract
This study examines emotional disclosure through the activity of journaling as a means of coping with maternal stress associated with parenting a child with disruptive behaviors. Through a randomized control and pre-test post-test study design of an online journal writing intervention, change to maternal stress and quality of mother-child relationship for children with ASD, ADHD and SPD was addressed. Behavioral symptoms were found to be the primary source of parenting stress for mothers and a significant relationship between child characteristics and maternal stress was identified. Emotional disclosure through the online journal writing program (especially in the presence of high disclosure of negative emotions) was shown to reduce maternal stress and improve the quality of mother-child relationship. These findings suggest cost-effective telehealth interventions may support maternal health. Important clinical implications are discussed.
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Only three of the 13 reviewed studies used either a wait-list control or care as usual.
“Whereas only three studies used either a wait-list control or care as usual (Benn et al., 2012; Feinberg et al., 2014; Whitney & Smith, 2014)”
From Interventions that target improvements in mental health for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders: A narrative review (2017) · cites this paper as Whitney & Smith, 2014
When expressive writing was only evaluated at post-intervention, the treatment group reported significantly higher parenting stress (d = -1.60) compared to the control.
“Therefore, not surprisingly when EW was only evaluated at post-intervention, the treatment group reported significantly higher parenting stress ( d = -1.60; Whitney & Smith, 2014) compared to the control.”
From Interventions that target improvements in mental health for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders: A narrative review (2017) · cites this paper as Whitney & Smith, 2014
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- Authors
- Whitney, R. V., & Smith, G.
- Affiliations
- Clarkson University (US)
- San Jose State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Whitney, Rondalyn V.
- ORCID
- Whitney, Rondalyn V.
- Venue
- Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
- Published
- 2014-12-13
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 3735-3745
- ISSN
- 0162-3257 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-3432
- OpenAlex
- W2034864197
- Cited by
- 39
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 5.44
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health via Writing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Family and Disability Support Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Keywords
- journaling, emotional disclosure, maternal stress, mother-child relationship, telehealth intervention, parental stress, disruptive behavior, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, sensory processing disorders, online intervention, maternal mental health
- MeSH terms
- Problem Behavior, Adolescent, Adult, Child, Child, Preschool, Emotions, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Mother-Child Relations, Mothers, Stress, Psychological, Writing, Telemedicine, Disclosure
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