Comparing Targets of Expressive Writing

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Expressive writing involves writing about one's deepest thoughts and feelings surrounding an emotional event. The current literature on the efficacy of expressive writing is mixed and warrants further investigation into how, when, and for whom expressive writing is an effective intervention. The goal of this study is to compare the efficacy of expressive writing interventions in young adults when people imagine that they're writing to themselves vs. a loved one. Participants will carry out an expressive writing exercise for 14 consecutive days. Participants are randomized into 3 groups: Self, Other, and Control. The Self group is instructed to write as if they were talking to themselves. The Other group is instructed to direct their writing to someone they feel close to. The Control group is asked to write down a factual description of their routine that day, and direct this writing to themselves. We will recruit participants until we have usable data from 53 participants per group (i.e., 159 in total).

Official Title
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Comparing Targets of Expressive Writing

Conditions
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Healthy, Anxiety, Depression

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Expressive Writing: Self
* Behavioral: Expressive Writing: Other
* Behavioral: Factual Writing


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: US-based Fluent English Combined GAD-7 and PHQ-8 score of ≥ 5 Exclusion Criteria: Completion of a writing session requires participants to spend at least 15 minutes on the writing page. We will monitor completion of the daily writing exercise, and will contact participants who miss or spend less than 15 minutes on the exercise. Participants who fail to complete 3 consecutive daily writing sessions will be deemed non-compliant, removed from the study, and paid a prorated amount for the tasks they have completed in the study.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 25 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Self<br>The Self group is instructed to carry out the expressive writing exercise as if they were writing to themselves. | Behavioral: Expressive Writing: Self<br>* This intervention consists of a daily expressive writing exercise carried out for 14 consecutive days, for 15 minutes each day. Expressive writing involves asking participants to write about their deepest thoughts and feelings surrounding an emotional event. Participants in this condition will write as if they are writing to themselves.<br>|
| Experimental: Other<br>The Other group is instructed to carry out the expressive writing exercise as if they were writing to someone they feel close to. | Behavioral: Expressive Writing: Other<br>* This intervention consists of a daily expressive writing exercise carried out for 14 consecutive days, for 15 minutes each day. Expressive writing involves asking participants to write about their deepest thoughts and feelings surrounding an emotional event. Participants in this condition will write as if they are writing/talking to someone they're close to.<br>|
| Placebo Comparator: Control<br>The Control group is asked to write down a factual description of their routine that day, as if they were writing to themselves. | Behavioral: Factual Writing<br>* This intervention consists of a daily factual writing exercise carried out for 14 consecutive days, for 15 minutes each day. Participants are asked to give a factual description of their day. This is a standard control for Expressive writing studies. Participants in this condition will be asked to direct their writing to themselves.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Anxiety | Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Scores range from 0-21, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety. | Initial visit (day 1), mid-point (day 7) final visit (day 15), 1-month follow-up (1 month after day 14) | 
| Depression | Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8). Scores range from 0-24, with higher scores indicating more severe depression. | Initial visit (day 1), mid-point (day 7), final visit (day 15), 1-month follow-up (1 month after day 14) | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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expressive writing, journaling, mental health