Effects of directed written disclosure on grief and distress symptoms among bereaved individuals
Open accessAbstract
Bereavement-specific written disclosure trials have generally demonstrated null effects, but these studies have not directed the focus of writing. This randomized controlled trial compared directed writing that focused on either sense-making or benefit-finding, both associated with adjustment to loss, to traditional, non-directed emotional disclosure and a control condition. Bereaved undergraduates (n = 68) completed three 20-min writing sessions over 1 week. Intervention effects were found on prolonged grief disorder, depressive, and posttraumatic stress symptoms 3 months postintervention, and the benefit-finding condition appeared particularly efficacious. Physical health improved over time in all treatment groups. Findings suggested that directing written disclosure on topics associated with adjustment to bereavement may be useful for grieving individuals.
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An RCT by Lichtenthal and Cruess (2010) showed that increasing finding benefits in the loss decreased complicated grief symptoms more strongly than a waitlist.
“Causal evidence was found in an RCT by Lichtenthal and Cruess (2010), who showed that increasing finding benefits in the loss decreased CG symptoms more strongly than a waitlist.”
From Emotion Regulatory Strategies in Complicated Grief: A Systematic Review (2021) · cites this paper as Lichtenthal and Cruess (2010)
The Results (Written Disclosure Effects at Follow-Up; page unavailable) report a significant difference in prolonged-grief symptom change across groups, with particularly pronounced reductions in the benefit-finding writing group. But the Method (Procedure; page unavailable) identifies the comparator as a neutral-writing group, not a waitlist. The study tested instructions to write about positive changes after loss; it does not establish that an increase in benefit finding itself caused the symptom reduction. (LLM, conf=0.90)
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Ambivalence and innovative moments in grief psychotherapy: The cases of Emily and Rose.
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Common Therapeutic Factors in Bereavement Groups
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Emotional reactivity to grief-related expressive writing
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Learning Through Loss: Implementing Lossography Narratives in Death Education
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Emotional disclosure as a therapeutic intervention in palliative care: a scoping review protocol
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Grief Therapy as Intervening in Meaning: Principles and Practices
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Reconstructing Meaning in Bereavement
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Stress-Related Growth Experience: Listening to Korean Adolescents who have Visual Impairments
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Co-Creative Songwriting for Bereavement Support
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Outcome Research on Disorder-Specific Treatments: The Case of Grief Therapy
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Spiritual Counseling for Bereaved Parents
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Expressive writing as an intervention to decrease distress in pediatric critical care nurses
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Expressive Writing for Grief: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
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Positive growth following trauma – clinical perspectives
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Normal Yas Sürecinde Manevi Destek
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Group leaders’ experiences in heterogenous grief support groups
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SUPPORTING BEREAVED UNDERGRADUATES DURING THEIR JOURNEYS THROUGH GRIEF
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Evaluating the Pennebaker Paradigm with Bereaved Emerging Adults: Applications of Text Analysis
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Meaning and Mourning: The Search for Significance in Tragic Loss
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The Use of Therapeutic Film Making: Agnes Varda and Sophie Calle
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The LAST Letter: Creation of a Meaning-Making Tool Following the Death of a Loved One
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Aesthetic practices in bereavement
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Bereaved Parents’ Narratives of Their Child Who Died of Cancer: A Qualitative Study
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Can Deathbots Facilitate Ambiguity Closure for Bereaved People?
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Social constraints in the context of bereavement: A narrative review
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- Authors
- Lichtenthal, W. G., & Cruess, D. G.
- Affiliations
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (US)
- University of Connecticut (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lichtenthal, Wendy G.
- Venue
- Death Studies
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2010-05-27
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 475-499
- ISSN
- 0748-1187 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-7683
- PMC
- PMC3909885
- OpenAlex
- W2088533078
- Cited by
- 100
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 7.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Death Studies (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (F31MH071999)
- National Cancer Institute (P30CA008748, T32CA009461)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health via Writing
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Keywords
- bereavement, grief, written disclosure, expressive writing, benefit finding, sensemaking, prolonged grief disorder, depressive symptoms, posttraumatic stress symptoms, adaptation to loss, physical health, undergraduate students
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Adult, Analysis of Variance, Bereavement, Depression, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Grief, Health Status, Humans, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Stress, Psychological, Students, Writing, Treatment Outcome, Disclosure, Young Adult
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