Optimistic expressive writing interventions and well being & wellbeing

Over the previous twenty years there was rising curiosity in, and analysis undertaken on, the potential advantages of expressive writing interventions for well being and wellbeing. Expressive writing interventions are low-intensity psychological interventions which might largely be self-administered by people collaborating.

Optimistic expressive writing was an adaptation to analysis on written emotional disclosure, which discovered that writing emotionally, not simply factually, a couple of personally tough expertise was related to constructive well being and psychological results (Frattaroli, 2006). The widespread consider constructive expressive writing interventions is that as a substitute of inviting members to jot down about how they could scale back damaging emotions, or to mirror on issues, the main focus is on cultivating constructive emotions or ideas, in widespread with different constructive psychology interventions (PPIs). The intention behind these ‘constructive’ expressive writing interventions is to not altogether substitute written emotional disclosure as an method in therapeutic writing, however to minimise the potential of members feeling short-term damaging feelings [which can come after negative disclosure] and the related threat of feeling burdened, however with out assist.

A scientific evaluate on the connection, if any, between writing interventions thought to be “constructive expressive writing interventions” and subjective well being and wellbeing, has been printed by researchers at Northumbria College (Hoult et al, 2025). There are numerous writing methods understood as doubtlessly therapeutic in nature, together with writing that encourages emotional disclosure, which includes writing a couple of worrying or traumatic expertise. This research focuses as a substitute on methods that align with constructive psychology interventions (PPIs) that centre writing to advertise “constructive feelings, strengths and virtues”, so for instance writing about issues for which people are grateful, or writing that helps people to establish and identify positives even the place worrying experiences have occurred.

The systematic evaluate centred on two questions:

‘What are the optimum situations underneath which constructive expressive writing advantages self-reported bodily and psychological well being and wellbeing?’
‘Which constructive expressive writing methods work greatest, on what well being and wellbeing outcomes, and for whom?’

Writing emotionally, not just factually, about difficult experiences is associated with positive health and wellbeing effects. But which techniques work best, on what health and wellbeing outcomes and for whom?

Writing emotionally, not simply factually, about tough experiences is related to constructive well being and wellbeing results. However which methods work greatest, on what well being and wellbeing outcomes and for whom?

Strategies

This systematic evaluate, printed in Could 2025, was carried out by accessing 4 databases (Net of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and ProQuest: APA PsychArticles). The inhabitants of curiosity was non-clinical adults and the outcomes of curiosity had been subjective wellbeing (e.g., life satisfaction, constructive have an effect on, damaging have an effect on; Diener, 1984), psychological wellbeing (e.g., private progress, objective in life; Ryff, 1989), self-reported psychological well being (e.g., anxiousness, despair, stress) and bodily well being. The evaluate didn’t discover ‘goal’ well being and wellbeing outcomes and behaviours. Comparator teams included members being instructed solely to jot down neutrally about routine or non-emotive matters, comparable to time administration and different features of each day life.

Peer-reviewed articles printed within the English language between 1930 and August 2023 had been included within the evaluate. Every article was high quality assessed utilizing the Nationwide Institutes of Well being (NIH) High quality Evaluation of Managed Intervention Research which contains fourteen standards, together with adequacy of randomisation, and evaluation of all randomised members (i.e., intention-to-treat). Research with deadly flaws (e.g., a excessive general and/or differential dropout charges ) had been thought of important threat for bias and had been rated as poor.

Outcomes

51 research had been included within the last evaluate and 31 of those had been rated as poor in high quality.

Seven constructive expressive writing methods had been recognized together with expressive writing on absolute best self, constructive experiences, gratitude, profit discovering, satisfaction processes, writing about three good issues and maintaining a useful resource diary. The vast majority of research had been carried out utilizing the traditional mode first launched for written emotional disclosure interventions; three to 4 bursts of writing, every lasting 15-20 minutes and happening on consecutive days.

The three mostly researched interventions had been the interventions of taking a look at one’s ‘absolute best self’, writing about ‘constructive experiences’ and gratitude workouts.

Eighteen research explored the ‘absolute best self’ writing method. Regardless of variations in how they utilized the train (e.g. altering the domains of self that had been checked out within the writing), they sometimes resulted in improved psychological and wellbeing outcomes, together with enhanced optimism, happiness and self-efficacy, in addition to reductions in ruminative pondering, psychological misery and self-criticism. The researchers state that the findings on constructive have an effect on, damaging have an effect on, despair and life satisfaction had been “blended, although most research discovered important advantages throughout the measures.” Apparently, the place bodily well being outcomes had been thought of (in a single research solely), there have been reductions in well being centre visits at a 5 month follow-up (King, 2001).

Sixteen research explored ‘writing about constructive experiences’. These interventions required members to jot down about intensely constructive experiences on consecutive days or in clustered bursts of exercise. Of curiosity is that these research assessed extra bodily well being outcomes relative to the opposite writing interventions, however the outcomes right here had been blended. Self-reported bodily signs had been discovered to lower in two research, however didn’t enhance in one other three. Nevertheless, all sixteen research exploring this sort of intervention, discovered that constructive expertise writing led to enhancements in optimism, stress appraisal, and constructive have an effect on.

Eleven research assessed gratitude as an expressive writing intervention, the place members had been instructed to jot down about features of life for which they had been grateful, or a letter expressing gratitude to an individual or individuals of selection. As with the ‘absolute best self’ methods, advantages of gratitude interventions had been noticed for subjective wellbeing outcomes comparable to happiness and life satisfaction. It’s additionally clear with ‘gratitude’ workouts that the outcomes are blended and presumably muted for outcomes of self-reported psychological well being, comparable to despair and anxiousness.

There was one different expressive writing method with ample research underneath evaluate to benefit examination; profit discovering methods. ‘Profit discovering’ encourages members to jot down about the advantages or positives following a worrying or upsetting expertise. From the 5 research included within the evaluate, little concrete data might be added.

Writing about the ‘best possible self’ and gratitude-related writing exercises showed the strongest improvements in wellbeing outcomes such as happiness.

Writing in regards to the ‘absolute best self’ and gratitude-related writing workouts confirmed the strongest enhancements in wellbeing outcomes comparable to happiness.

Conclusions

The ‘absolute best self’ and ‘gratitude’ interventions appear, on the premise of high quality research accessible to evaluate, to include essentially the most promise.

That is largely caveated by the extremely heterogeneous high quality of the general variety of evaluations and analyses carried out hitherto, underscoring the necessity for extra rigour and consistency of method in future such research on constructive expressive writing interventions. It’s laborious to be exact and distinguish whether or not, for ‘absolute best self’ and ‘gratitude’, what we’re seeing is a genuinely simpler method in how they sort out this concept of constructive expressive writing, or whether or not on this systematic evaluate, we’re merely seeing a bigger variety of psychological wellbeing outcomes assessed in contrast with different interventions, (e.g. profit discovering) which had been examined with an even bigger, and trickier, highlight on whether or not they led as a substitute to modifications in well being.

Positive expressive writing interventions tended to have a greater effect on wellbeing outcomes than health outcomes in this review.

Optimistic expressive writing interventions tended to have a higher impact on wellbeing outcomes than well being outcomes on this evaluate.

Strengths and limitations

As a tutor of expressive writing, working with adults with mind tumours, adults with continual kidney illness (CKD), in addition to populations that is perhaps deemed as ‘non-clinical’, (e.g. caregivers), the most important limitation of the evaluate is the absence of research or dialogue as to why non-clinical populations may uniquely profit from constructive writing interventions.

There are numerous legitimate the reason why research would solely take into account the worth of constructive expressive writing, and outcomes achieved, in non-clinical populations. For instance, there’s a rising physique of proof that implies pupil populations, the main focus of most of the research on this systematic evaluate, may certainly profit from constructive writing interventions, however this isn’t positioned into a very analytical context.

Neither does the evaluate share any view, or include any dialogue on the long-run results of the Covid 19 pandemic, and why populations not thought of to be scientific, so for instance well being and care professionals, may nonetheless profit from constructive expressive writing interventions, even when, for the needs of this evaluate, they’re ‘non-clinical’.

In actuality it’s laborious to separate out scientific and non-clinical populations, and plenty of college students and caregivers, or care professionals, may have undiagnosed well being and care wants, together with anxiousness and despair. While it’s necessary we examine and look at the worth of writing interventions throughout completely different populations, and the way interventions play out in numerous methods throughout these populations, the analysis doesn’t sufficiently permit for the chance that these populations have gotten ever extra blended. It wasn’t totally clear, for instance, how nonclinical populations had been screened for and recruited within the completely different research, and given the extent to which adults aged 18 and over both don’t have a prognosis for a well being drawback, aren’t due to this fact present process therapy, or don’t but recognise or know they’ve an issue, it wasn’t totally apparent why the research chosen had been confined in the best way they had been: to so-called nonclinical populations. This serves to obscure and underplay why sure sectors and establishments would do nicely to prioritise constructive writing interventions – for instance hospitals and care groups who may roll out or pilot the intervention with their underneath strain and infrequently fatigued workforce.

Can we really separate out clinical and non-clinical populations?

Can we actually separate out scientific and non-clinical populations?

Implications for apply

This evaluate highlights that particular person variations referring to emotional, social and wellbeing components (e.g. emotional processing and coping), could “average intervention effectiveness”. That is presumably underplayed, and clearly warrants extra evaluation. The researchers spotlight fifteen moderating results on intervention effectiveness in whole, however not one research inside the systematic evaluate checked out greater than a single moderator.

As regards to how interventions needs to be delivered, not simply what the interventions are, there was once more important ‘heterogeneity’ in intervention supply which the researchers conclude, “makes it difficult to attract inferences concerning…management group, the writing length and spacing of classes, and size of follow-up.” It is a worthwhile evaluate, and well timed too as entry to inventive well being continues to be mentioned as a social determinant in stopping or managing sick well being (Fancourt, 2019). Rightly, although, the researchers conclude way more analysis is required in future. Future research of constructive expressive writing interventions might want to have added rigour in figuring out and defining which well being outcomes and variables they’re concentrating on.

This review is timely given the mounting evidence that creative interventions can prevent or manage ill health.

This evaluate is well timed given the mounting proof that inventive interventions can forestall or handle sick well being.

Assertion of pursuits

Andrew Kaye Kauffman has no pursuits to declare.

You may learn a few of his essays and a brand new blog-post for London Lit Lab right here, which underlines among the proof on writing and its relationship with our wellbeing.