Effects of self-expressive writing as a therapeutic method to relieve stress among university students

ABSTRACT

Expressive writing is a therapeutic intervention which requires people to write about stressful life events and their emotional responses to those experiences. This study examined the effects of self-expressive writing in assuaging stress among university students. 166 university students first completed the Perceived Stress Scale and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Participants were then assigned expressive written tasks whereby they spent 10–15 min daily for seven days evaluating aspects of their daily stress, stress related emotions, and possible ways to cope. The questionnaires were then re-administered. The before and after scores were compared. The results revealed that participants showed significantly decreased stress from pre- to post-intervention. Furthermore, the findings indicated that participants reported significant therapeutic relief and improved well-being. Expressive writing may be a promising therapeutic option to reduce stress and improve well-being among moderately stressed university students. Furthermore, it seems to have potential implications for therapeutic treatment methods.

KEYWORDS:

• coping
• expressive writing
• stress reduction‌
• university student well-being
• written emotional disclosure

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to humbly acknowledge the participants who volunteered to contribute to this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).