Laccetti Margaret
Connell School of Nursing, Boston College, Massachusetts, USA.
Oncol Nurs Forum. 2007 Sep;34(5):1019-24. doi: 10.1188/07.ONF.1019-1024.
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To explore the relationships between patterns of affective word use (words with positive or negative connotations) in expressive writing conducted over four consecutive days and quality of life (QOL) three months after the writing exercise in women with metastatic breast cancer.
Descriptive, correlational.
Six clinical sites in New England.
68 women with metastatic breast cancer.
Patterns of positive and negative affective word use and QOL.
Usage patterns of affective words in expressive writing were identified through the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). Relationships between patterns of affective word use and QOL were explored. QOL was measured at baseline and three months after the writing exercise by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast. Correlations between patterns of word use and QOL were investigated using general linear regression.
A significant relationship was found between positive-affect word use and emotional well-being. Manual scoring of 10 expressive writing texts to validate LIWC data identified a significant difference between LIWC and manual counts for negative language. Contextual evaluation suggested marked ambivalence in how the women wrote about cancer.
A positive relationship between affective language in disclosure and QOL was demonstrated, illustrating a cognitive process occurring in expressive writing.
The findings suggest that expressive writing is a positive, helpful intervention for patients with cancer attempting to reintegrate the experience in life. Nurses should gain deeper understanding of underlying cognitive processes of disclosure to identify the most effective manner in which to use such interventions.
目的/目标：探讨转移性乳腺癌女性在连续四天进行的表达性写作中情感词汇使用模式（具有积极或消极内涵的词汇）与写作练习三个月后的生活质量（QOL）之间的关系。
描述性、相关性研究。
新英格兰的六个临床地点。
68名转移性乳腺癌女性。
积极和消极情感词汇的使用模式以及生活质量。
通过语言查询与字数统计（LIWC）确定表达性写作中情感词汇的使用模式。探讨情感词汇使用模式与生活质量之间的关系。在基线时以及写作练习三个月后，通过癌症治疗功能评估-乳腺癌量表来测量生活质量。使用一般线性回归研究词汇使用模式与生活质量之间的相关性。
发现积极情感词汇的使用与情绪幸福感之间存在显著关系。对10篇表达性写作文本进行人工评分以验证LIWC数据，结果发现LIWC与负面语言人工计数之间存在显著差异。情境评估表明，这些女性在描述癌症时存在明显的矛盾心理。
揭示了情感语言与生活质量之间的积极关系，说明了表达性写作中发生的认知过程。
研究结果表明，表达性写作对于试图将癌症经历融入生活的癌症患者是一种积极、有益的干预措施。护士应更深入地了解揭示过程的潜在认知机制，以确定使用此类干预措施的最有效方式。
