The DOI matches its Crossref record.
Written emotional expression: Effect sizes, outcome types, and moderating variables
Abstract
A research synthesis was conducted to examine the relationship between a written emotional expression task and subsequent health. This writing task was found to lead to significantly improved health outcomes in healthy participants. Health was enhanced in 4 outcome types--reported physical health, psychological well-being, physiological functioning, and general functioning--but health behaviors were not influenced. Writing also increased immediate (pre- to postwriting) distress, which was unrelated to health outcomes. The relation between written emotional expression and health was moderated by a number of variables, including the use of college students as participants, gender, duration of the manipulation, publication status of the study, and specific writing content instructions.
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“Expressive writing generally produces short-term distress in experimental participants following completion of the treatment and salutary health effects occurring only over time (Smyth, 1998).”
From Interventions that target improvements in mental health for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders: A narrative review (2017) · cites this paper as Smyth, 1998
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A meta-analysis of writing instruction for adolescent students
Graham, S., & Perin, D. (2007) · Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-0663.99.3.445 · Cited by 1,609
Word of mouth and interpersonal communication: A review and directions for future research
Berger, J. (2014) · Journal of Consumer Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jcps.2014.05.002 · Cited by 1,469
The Function of Fiction is the Abstraction and Simulation of Social Experience
Mar, R. A., & Oatley, K. (2008) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00073.x · Cited by 1,345
On the costs and benefits of emotional labor: A meta-analysis of three decades of research.
Hulsheger, U. R., & Schewe, A. F. (2011) · Journal of Occupational Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0022876 · Cited by 1,389
Metadata
- Authors
- Smyth, J. M.
- Affiliations
- State University of New York (US)
- Corresponding author
- Smyth, Joshua M.
- ORCID
- Smyth, Joshua M.
- Venue
- Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
- Published
- 1998
- Volume
- 66
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 174-184
- ISSN
- 0022-006X (ISSN-L)
- 1939-2117
- OpenAlex
- W2064411548
- Cited by
- 1,294
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 44 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 41 · 2018: 51 · 2017: 41 · 2016: 51 · 2015: 67 · 2014: 58 · 2013: 51 · 2012: 71
- FWCI
- 42.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health via Writing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Art Therapy and Mental Health
- Keywords
- expressive writing, health outcomes, physical health, psychological well-being, physiological function, general functioning, health behavior, distress, moderators, gender differences, publication status, university students
- MeSH terms
- Affect, Health Status, Humans, Life Change Events, Mental Health, Stress, Psychological, Writing
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