Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA.
Psychol Health. 2010 Jul;25(6):669-84. doi: 10.1080/08870440902883196.
Written emotional disclosure has been reported to confer a variety of benefits on physical and psychological well-being. However, variable findings suggest that outcomes may vary systematically as a function of specific parameters of the experimental design. This study aims to investigate the unique and combined effects of disclosure instructions focusing on emotional expression and instructions facilitating cognitive reappraisal and to examine how ambivalence over emotional expression and ethnicity moderate the effects of these writing instructions. Seventy-one Asian and 59 Caucasian undergraduates (N = 130) with at least minimal physical or depressive symptoms were randomly assigned to one of the four writing conditions: emotional disclosure (ED), cognitive reappraisal (COG), the combination of ED and COG, or a control condition. Self-reported physical symptoms, positive affect (PA) and negative affect were assessed at baseline and three follow-ups spanning 4 months. Mixed linear models revealed that COG writing reduced physical symptoms, ED buffered a decrease in PA over time, and the combination of ED and COG (i.e. self-regulation; SR) was most effective. Asians and highly ambivalent participants benefited most from expressive writing. Findings contribute to the development of a SR moderator model and carry implications for designing expressive disclosure studies, particularly for ethnic minorities.
书面情感表达已被报道对身心健康有多种益处。然而，不同的研究结果表明，实验设计的特定参数可能会系统地影响结果。本研究旨在调查专注于情感表达的披露指导和促进认知重评的指导的独特和综合效果，并探讨情感表达的矛盾心理和种族如何调节这些写作指导的效果。71 名亚裔和 59 名白种人本科生（N=130）至少有轻微的身体或抑郁症状，被随机分配到以下四种写作条件之一：情感表达（ED）、认知重评（COG）、ED 和 COG 的组合或控制条件。在基线和跨越 4 个月的 3 次随访中，自我报告的身体症状、积极情绪（PA）和消极情绪。混合线性模型显示，COG 写作可减少身体症状，ED 缓冲 PA 随时间的下降，ED 和 COG 的组合（即自我调节；SR）最有效。亚洲人和矛盾心理较强的参与者从表达性写作中获益最多。研究结果为自我调节调节模型的发展做出了贡献，并为表达性披露研究的设计，特别是为少数民族，提供了启示。
