493
Views
12
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

The effects of an expressive writing intervention on pregnancy rates, alexithymia and psychophysical health during an assisted reproductive treatment

, , , , &
Pages 718-733 | Received 28 Sep 2018, Accepted 09 Sep 2019, Published online: 24 Sep 2019

References

  • Ben Shlomo, S., Pascal, M., Taubman-Ben-Ari, O., Azuri, Y., & Horowitz, E. (2017). Life satisfaction of women in early stages of fertility treatment. Women & Health, 57, 566–582. doi:10.1080/03630242.2016.1178682
  • Ben Shlomo, S., Skvirsky, V., Taubman-Ben-Ari, O., Azuri, Y., & Horowitz, E. (2016). Mental health of women entering fertility treatment: What role do age and internal resources play? Stress and Health, 33, 470–476. doi:10.1002/smi.2733
  • Boivin, J. (2003). A review of psychosocial interventions in infertility. Social Science & Medicine, 57, 2325–2341. doi:10.1016/S0277-9536(03)00138-2
  • Boivin, J. (2006). Evidence-based approaches to infertility counseling. In S. N. Covington & L. H. Burns (Eds.), Infertility counseling: A comprehensive handbook for clinicians (pp. 117–128). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
  • Bressi, C., Taylor, G. J., Parker, J. D., Bressi, S., Brambilla, V., Aguglia, E., … Invernizzi, G. (1996). Cross validation of the factor structure of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale: An Italian multicenter study. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 41(6), 551–559. doi:10.1016/S0022-3999(96)00228-0
  • Broderick, J. E., Junghaenel, D. U., Joseph, E., & Schwartz, J. E. (2005). Written emotional expression produces health benefits in fibromyalgia patients. Psychosomatic Medicine, 67(2), 326–334. doi:10.1097/01.psy.0000156933.04566.bd
  • Bryan, J. L., & Lu, Q. (2016). Vision for improvement: Expressive writing as an intervention for people with Stargardt’s disease, a rare eye disease. Journal of Health Psychology, 21(5), 709–719. doi:10.1177/1359105314536453
  • Chaves, C., Canavarro, M. C., & Moura-Ramos, M. (2018). The role of dyadic coping on the marital and emotional adjustment of couples with infertility. Family Process, 58, 509–523. doi:10.1111/famp.12364
  • Da Silva, S. M., Boivin, J., & Gameiro, S. (2016). Self-regulation and well-being when facing a blocked parenthood goal: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One, 11, 1–20. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0157649
  • Di Trani, M. (2007). Per chi? Il ruolo delle variabili individuali sugli effetti della tecnica della scrittura [For who? The role of individual dimensions on the effect of the expressive writing intervention]. In L. Solano (Ed.), Scrivere per pensare [Writing for thinking] (pp. 39–64). Milano, IT: Franco Angeli Editore.
  • Di Trani, M., Renzi, A., & Solano, L. (2014). Elaborare le esperienze difficili scrivendo. La tecnica della scrittura di James Pennebaker [Processing difficult experience trough writing. Pennebacker’s writing technique]. Nuove Arti Terapie, 24, 95–109. Retrieved from https://www.nuoveartiterapie.net/new/pdf/rivista/23-24-NuoveArtiTerapie.pdf
  • Frederiksen, Y., Farver-Vestergaard, I., Skovgard, N. G., Ingerslev, H. J., & Zachariae, R. (2015). Efficacy of psychosocial interventions for psychological and pregnancy outcomes in infertile women and men: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open, 5(1), e006592. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006592
  • Frederiksen, Y., O'Toole, M. S., Mehlsen, M. Y., Hauge, B., Elbaek, H. O., Zachariae, R., & Ingerslev, H. J. (2017). The effect of expressive writing intervention for infertile couples: A randomized controlled trial. Human Reproduction, 32(2), 391–402. doi:10.1093/humrep/dew320
  • Galhardo, A., Cunha, M., & Pinto-Gouveia, J. (2011). Psychological aspects in couples with infertility. Sexologies, 20(4), 224–228. doi:10.101`6/j.sexol.2011.08.005
  • Gourounti, K., Anagnostopoulos, F., & Vaslamatzis, G. (2011). The relation of psychological stress to pregnancy outcome among women undergoing in-vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Women & Health, 51, 321–339. doi:10.1080/03630242.2011.574791
  • Gourounti, K., Anagnostopoulos, F., Griva, F., & Vasmatzis, G. (2015). Alexithymia and fertility-related stress. Women & Health, 56, 312–325. doi:10.1080/03630242.2015.1088119
  • Haimovici, F., Anderson, J. L., Bates, G. W., Racowsky, C., Ginsburg, E. S., Simovici, D., & Fichorova, R. N. (2018). Stress, anxiety, and depression of both partners in infertile couples are associated with cytokine levels and adverse IVF outcome. American Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 79(4), e12832. doi:10.1111/aji.12832
  • Harvey, A. G., & Farrell, C. (2003). The efficacy of a Pennebaker-like writing intervention for poor sleepers. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 1(2), 115–124. doi:10.1207/S15402010BSM0102_4
  • Istituto Superiore di Sanità. ISS. (2015). Registro Nazionale Procreazione Medicalmente Assistita [National Register of Assisted Reproductive Treatment]. Retrieved from http://www.iss.it/binary/rpma/cont/La_PMA_da_pubblicare2012_ultimo30_03_2015.pdf
  • Klonoff-Cohen, H., Chu, E., Natarajan, L., & Sieber, W. (2001). A prospective study of stress among women undergoing in vitro fertilization or gamete intrafallopian transfer. Fertility and Sterility, 76(4), 675–687. doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(01)02008-8
  • Kushwaha, C., Sinha, P., Gupta, U., & Srivastava, K. (2018). Impact of infertility on marital relationships among infertile couples attending OPD of a tertiary health care centre. International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology, 7(3), 1164–1167. doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20180911
  • LoGiudice, J. A., & Massaro, J. (2018). The impact of complementary therapies on psychosocial factors in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF): A systematic literature review. Applied Nursing Research, 39, 220–228. doi:10.1016/j.apnr.2017.11.025
  • Lumley, M. A., Naoum, L., & Kelly, J. (2001). Alexithymia as moderator of the effects of written and verbal emotional disclosure. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of American Psychosomatic Society, Monterey, CA.
  • Matthiesen, S., Klonoff-Cohen, H., Zachariae, R., Jensen-Johansen, M. B., Nielsen, B. K., Frederiksen, Y., … Ingerslev, H. J. (2012). The effect of an expressive writing intervention (EWI) on stress in infertile couples undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment: A randomized controlled pilot study. British Journal of Health Psychology, 17(2), 362–378. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8287.2011.02042.x
  • Milazzo, A., Mnatzaganian, G., Elshaug, A. G., Hemphill, S. A., & Hiller, J. E., & on behalf of The Astute Health Study Group. (2016). Depression and anxiety outcomes associated with failed assisted reproductive technologies: A systematic review and metaanalysis. PLoS One, 11(11), e0165805. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0165805
  • Nemiah, J. C., Freyberger, H., & Sifneos, P. E. (1976). Alexithymia: A view of the psychosomatic process. In O. W. Hill (Ed.), Modern trends in psychosomatic medicine (Vol. 3, pp. 430–439). London: Butterworths.
  • Neter, E., & Goren, S. (2017). Infertility centrality in the woman’s identity and goal adjustment predict psychological adjustment among women in ongoing fertility treatments. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 24(6), 880–892. doi:10.1007/s12529-017-9693-9
  • Paez, D., Valasco, C., & Gonzales, J. L. (1999). Expressive writing and the role of alexithymia as a dispositional deficit in self-disclosure and psychological health. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 630–641. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.77.3.630
  • Panagopoulou, E., Montgomery, A., & Tarlatzis, B. (2009). Experimental emotional disclosure in women undergoing infertility treatment: Are drop-outs better off? Social Science & Medicine, 69, 678–681. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.06.031
  • Pastena, R., Tabasso, C., Pepe, L., Maida, P., & Solano, L. (2007). Effetti della tecnica della scrittura sul benessere e il controllo glicemico in soggetti diabetici con diversi livelli di alessitimia [The effect of the writing technique on wellbeing levels and glycemic control in subjects suffering from diabetes with different levels of alexithymia]. Psicologia Della Salute, 1, 127–145.
  • Pennebaker, J. W. (1997). Writing about emotional experiences as a therapeutic process. Psychological Science, 8(3), 162–166. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00403.x
  • Pennebaker, J. W., & Chung, C. K. (2007). Expressive writing, emotional upheavals, and health. In H. S. Friedman & R. C. Silver (Eds.), Foundations to health psychology (pp. 263–284). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
  • Pepe, L., Milani, R., Di Trani, M., Di Folco, G., Lanna, V., & Solano, L. (2014). A more global approach to musculoskeletal pain: Expressive writing as an effective adjunct to physiotherapy. Psychology, Health and Medicine, 19(6), 687–697. doi:10.1080/13548506.2013.859712
  • Prunas, A., Sarno, I., Preti, E., Madeddu, F., & Perugini, M. (2012). Psychometric properties of the Italian version of the SCL-90-R: A study on a large community sample. European Psychiatry, 27(8), 591–597. doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2010.12.006
  • Purewal, S., Chapman, S. C. E., & van den Akker, O. B. A. (2017). A systematic review and meta-analysis of psychological predictors of successful assisted reproductive technologies. BMC Research Notes, 10(1), 711. doi:10.1186/s13104-017-3049-z
  • Purewal, S., Chapman, S. C. E., & van den Akker, O. B. A. (2018). Depression and state anxiety scores during assisted reproductive treatment are associated with outcome: A meta-analysis. Reproductive Biomedicine Online, 36(6), 646–657. doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2018.03.010
  • Redshaw, M., & Martin, C. (2009). Planned pregnancy, trajectories for parenthood and infertility. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 27(3), 221–222. doi:10.1080/02646830903178214
  • Robinson, H., Jarret, P., Vedhara, K., & Broadbent, E. (2017). The effects of expressive writing before or after punch biopsy on wound healing. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 61, 217–227. doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2016.11.025
  • Smyth, J. M., Anderson, C. F., Hockemeyer, J. R., & Stone, A. A. (2002). Does emotional non-expressiveness or avoidance interfere with writing about stressful life events? An analysis in patients with chronic illness. Psychology & Health, 17(5), 561–569. doi:10.1080/08870440290025777
  • Solano, L. (2013). Lo psicologo ovunque possibile [The psychologist everywhere]. In L. Solano (Ed.), Tra mente e corpo [Between mind and body] (pp.485–516). Milano, IT: Raffaello Cortina Editore.
  • Solano, L., Bonadies, M., & Di Trani, M. (2008). Writing for all, for some or for no-one? Some thoughts around applications and evaluations of the writing technique. In J. Denollet, I. Nyklicek, & A. Vingerhoets (Eds.), Emotion regulation (pp. 234–246). New York, NY: Springer.
  • Solano, L., Donati, V., Pecci, F., Persichetti, S., & Colaci, A. (2003). Post-operative course after papilloma resection: Effect of written disclosure of the experience in subjects with different alexithymia levels. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65(3), 477–484. doi:10.1097/01.PSY.0000035781.74170.F1
  • Sut, H. K., & Kaplan, P. B. (2015). Quality of life in women with infertility via the FertiQoL and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales. Nursing & Health Sciences, 17, 84–89. 10.1111/nhs.12167
  • Taylor, G. J. (2004). Alexithymia: 25 years of theory and research. In I. L. Temoshok & A. Vingerhoets (Eds.), Emotional expression and health (pp. 137–153). Hove & New York, NY: Brunner-Routledge.
  • Taylor, G. J., & Bagby, R. M. (2014). Advance in theory and research on alexithymia. In G. J. Taylor, R. M. Bagby, V. Caretti, & A. Schimmenti (Eds.), The assessment of the alexithymia construct with the TSIA (pp. 77–97). Milano, IT: Raffaello Cortina Editore.
  • Van de Broeck, U., Emery, M., Wischmann, T., & Thorn, P. (2010). Counselling in infertility: Individual, couple and group interventions. Patient Education and Counseling, 81, 422–428. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2010.10.009
  • Verhaak, C. M., Smeenk, J. M. J., Van Minnen, A. J., Kremer, A. M., & Kraaimaat, F. W. (2005). A longitudinal, prospective study on emotional adjustment before, during and after consecutive fertility treatment cycles. Human Reproduction, 20(8), 2253–2260. doi:10.1093/humrep/dei015
  • World Health Organization [WHO]. (2014). Infertility definitions and terminology. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/infertility/definitions/en/
  • World Health Organization [WHO]. (2017). Global prevalence of infertility, infecundity and childlessness. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/infertility/burden/en/

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.