Benefit finding and expressive writing in adults with lupus or rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

An intriguing question within the expressive writing literature is whether writing interventions that focus on positive aspects of adverse experiences can produce health benefits, particularly among individuals with serious physical illness. Seventy-five adults with lupus or rheumatoid arthritis were randomly assigned to one of three 4-session writing interventions: benefit finding (BF), standard expressive writing (EW), or a control group. Follow-up questionnaires were completed one and three months later. At three months, fatigue was lower in the BF and EW groups than in the control group. BF appeared effective in reducing pain levels for participants with high trait anxiety, whereas EW appeared effective for participants with low trait anxiety. No significant group effects were found for psychological functioning or disability. Results are discussed with regard to the literature on BF and EW among medical patients.

Keywords:

• Expressive writing
• emotional disclosure
• benefit finding
• rheumatoid arthritis
• lupus

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by grants, to one of the authors (S.D.-B.), from the John Templeton Foundation, the Northeastern New York Lupus Foundation of America, and the University at Albany Faculty Research Award Program. The authors are grateful to Catherine Mosher, Asani Seawell, and Christoffer Grant for their assistance with data management.

Notes

Note

[1] Instructions given to participants for the first writing session are printed in Stanton and Danoff-Burg (2002).