The Role of Affect Regulation and Self-presentation in the Expressive Writing Intervention

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Posttraumatic Stress Disorders
• Interventions: Behavioral: Expressive Writing; Behavioral: Control

• Registration Number: NCT00831727
• Lead Sponsor: University of Toronto

Brief Summary

The purpose of the present study is twofold. First, we will attempt to examine the role that emotion regulation and self-presentation play as potential moderators in the expressive writing paradigm. We hypothesize that expressive writing participants who demonstrate greater abilities to regulate their emotions at baseline will improve more on our outcome measures. We also hypothesize that those expressive writing participants who demonstrate higher levels of self-presentation at baseline will improve less on our outcome measures.

The second aim of the study has two related objectives. First, we will attempt to investigate whether the expressive writing intervention can increase and enhance an individual's emotion regulation abilities. Related to this, we will then go on to examine whether emotion regulation can be looked at as a potential mechanism of action in the expressive writing procedure. Related to these two objectives, we hypothesize that in comparison to the control group, participants in the expressive writing condition will show increases in their ability to regulate their emotions from baseline to four week follow up. Moreover, we predict that greater gains in emotion regulation abilities for the expressive writing participants will be significantly related to greater gains in outcome measures.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2009-01-28
• Study First Submitted QC: 2009-01-28
• Study First Posted: 2009-01-29
• Study Start: 2009-02
• Primary Completion: 2010-11
• Study Completion: 2010-11
• Status Verified: 2016-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2016-05-10
• Last Update Posted: 2016-05-12

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 75

Inclusion Criteria

• Fluent in English
• Previously experienced trauma (not current or ongoing; excluding bereavement)
• Currently experiencing trauma-related distress

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Exclusion Criteria

• Currently involved in psychotherapy
• Currently taking psychotropic medications
• Imminent threat to self or others

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Expressive Writing	Expressive Writing	-
Control	Control	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale	Initial session; One month follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale	Initial session; One month follow-up
Pennebaker Inventory of Limbic Languidness	Initial session; One month follow-up
Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition	Initial session; One month follow-up

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto; 🇨🇦 Toronto, Ontario, Canada