Expressive writing moderates the relation between intrusive thoughts and depressive symptoms
Abstract
The author investigated whether expressive writing enhances emotional adaptation to a stressful event (graduate entrance exams) by reducing event-related intrusive thoughts or by desensitizing people to such thoughts. Participants in the experimental group, who were instructed to write their deepest thoughts and feelings about the exam, exhibited a significant decline in depressive symptoms from 1 month (Time 1) to 3 days (Time 2) before the exam. Participants in the control group, who wrote about a trivial topic, maintained a relatively high level of depressive symptoms over this same period. Expressive writing did not affect the frequency of intrusive thoughts, but it moderated the impact of intrusive thoughts on depressive symptoms. Specifically, intrusive thoughts at Time 1 were positively related to depressive symptoms at Time 2 in the control group and were unrelated to symptoms in the expressive writing group.
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Mastery of a new skill may be important in how exercise improves mood.
“Exercise may act as a diversion from negative thoughts, and the mastery of a new skill may be important (LePore 1997).”
From Exercise for depression (2009) · cites this paper as LePore 1997
Exercise may act as a diversion from negative thoughts.
“Exercise may act as a diversion from negative thoughts, and the mastery of a new skill may be important (LePore 1997).”
From Exercise for depression (2009) · cites this paper as LePore 1997
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References 41 · Cited by 356
- Authors
- Lepore, S. J.
- Affiliations
- Carnegie Mellon University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lepore, Stephen J.
- ORCID
- Lepore, Stephen J.
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 1997
- Volume
- 73
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1030-1037
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W2038333092
- Cited by
- 356
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 20
- FWCI
- 5.67
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health via Writing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- expressive writing, intrusive thoughts, depressive symptoms, moderation, emotional adjustment, stressful events, desensitization, emotion regulation
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Adult, Attention, Depression, Female, Humans, Male, Students, Thinking, Writing
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