Comparing Targets of Expressive Writing
Expressive writing involves writing about one's deepest thoughts and feelings surrounding an emotional event. The current literature on the efficacy of expressive writing is mixed and warrants further investigation into how, when, and for whom expressive writing is an effective intervention. The goal of this study is to compare the efficacy of expressive writing interventions in young adults when people imagine that they're writing to themselves vs. a loved one. Participants will carry out an expressive writing exercise for 14 consecutive days. Participants are randomized into 3 groups: Self, Other, and Control. The Self group is instructed to write as if they were talking to themselves. The Other group is instructed to direct their writing to someone they feel close to. The Control group is asked to write down a factual description of their routine that day, and direct this writing to themselves. We will recruit participants until we have usable data from 53 participants per group (i.e., 159 in total).
Conditions:
🦠 Healthy 🦠 Anxiety 🦠 Depression
🗓️ Study Start (Actual) November 2023
🗓️ Primary Completion (Estimated) November 2024
✅ Study Completion (Estimated) November 2024
👥 Enrollment (Estimated) 159
🔬 Study Type INTERVENTIONAL
📊 Phase NA
Locations:
📍 Princeton, New Jersey, United States

📋 Eligibility Criteria

Description

    Inclusion Criteria:

    • * US-based
    • * Fluent English
    • * Combined GAD-7 and PHQ-8 score of ≥ 5

    Exclusion Criteria:

    • * "Completion" of a writing session requires participants to spend at least 15 minutes on the writing page. We will monitor completion of the daily writing exercise, and will contact participants who miss or spend less than 15 minutes on the exercise. Participants who fail to complete 3 consecutive daily writing sessions will be deemed non-compliant, removed from the study, and paid a prorated amount for the tasks they have completed in the study.
Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years to 25 Years (ADULT)
Sexes Eligible for Study: ALL
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

🗓️ Study Record Dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates

  • First Submitted 6 November 2023
  • First Submitted that Met QC Criteria 6 November 2023
  • First Posted 13 November 2023

Study Record Updates

  • Last Update Submitted that Met QC Criteria 13 November 2023
  • Last Update Posted 15 November 2023
  • Last Verified November 2023