Pilot study: Expressive writing during the waiting time for ambulant psychotherapy in patients with physical diseases and mental comorbidity

Not Applicable

• Conditions: F41; F43; Psychological and behavioural factors associated with disorders or diseases classified elsewhere; Depressive episode; Recurrent depressive disorder; Other anxiety disorders; Subjects with physical diseases and mental comorbidity, chapter F3, F4 and F5 (ICD-10).; F54; F32; F33

• Registration Number: DRKS00004644
• Lead Sponsor: Psychotherapeutische Hochschulambulanz für psychische Störungen bei körperlichen Erkrankungen, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Institut für Psychologie, Abteilung für Rehabilitationspsychologie und Psychotherapie

Brief Summary

Not available

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2013-02-13
• Study Completion: 2013-05-24
• Last Update Posted: 19 August 2024

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Complete
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 34

Inclusion Criteria

Patients of the psychotherapeutic outpatient centre for mental disorders in patients with a physical disease (University of Freiburg). Patients are recruited after a first diagnostic session. All patients suffer from a physical disease and mental comorbidity and are waitlisted.

Exclusion Criteria

Not included are patients who 1) are unable to write continuously in German for 20 minutes, 2) have a history of trauma, making expressive writing too stressful, 3) do not have a mental disorder, 4) have cognitive disabilities or 5) are currently suicidal.

Study & Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Endpoint Hypothesis 1: Proportion of subjects, who can accomplish the expressive writing project without problems at home during the waiting time for ambulant psychotherapy.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Endpoint Hypothesis 2: Selfreports both directly after the writing sessions and at the end of the writing project (using questionnaires from Niedtfeld, Schmidt & Scholz, 2008, and Pennebaker, 2010).<br><br>Niedtfeld, I., Schmidt, A.F. & Scholz, O.B. (2008). Wie wirkt Expressives Schreiben? Differenzielle Wirkfaktoren des Schreibens über belastende Lebensereignisse. Verhaltenstherapie, 18, 91-99.<br>Pennebaker, J.W. (2010). Heilung durch Schreiben. Ein Arbeitsbuch zur Selbsthilfe. Bern: Hans Huber.<br><br>Endpoint Hypothesis 3: Selfreport questionnaires targeting different aspects of physical and psychological health (SF-12, Bullinger & Kirchberger, 1998; BAI, Margraf & Ehlers, 2007; BDI II, Hautzinger, Keller & Kühner, 2006; BSI, Franke, 2000; PANAS, Krohne, Egloff, Kohlmann & Tausch, 1996; PSS, Cohen & Williamson, 1988; FLZ, Fahrenberg, 2000; VEV, Zielke & Kopf-Mehnert, 1978).).