Pennebaker J W, Mayne T J, Francis M E
Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 75275, USA.
J Pers Soc Psychol. 1997 Apr;72(4):863-71. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.72.4.863.
The words people use in disclosing a trauma were hypothesized to predict improvements in mental and physical health in 2 studies. The first study reanalyzed data from 6 previous experiments in which language variables served as predictors of health. Results from 177 participants in previous writing studies showed that increased use of words associated with insightful and causal thinking was linked to improved physical but not mental health. Higher use of positive relative to negative emotion words was also associated with better health. An empirical measure that was derived from these data correlated with subsequent distress ratings. The second study tested these models on interview transcripts of 30 men who had lost their partners to AIDS. Cognitive change and empirical models predicted postbereavement distress at 1 year. Implications of using computer-based text analyses in the study of narratives are discussed.
在两项研究中，人们假设在披露创伤时使用的词汇能够预测心理和身体健康状况的改善。第一项研究重新分析了此前6项实验的数据，其中语言变量作为健康状况的预测指标。此前写作研究中177名参与者的结果表明，与洞察性和因果性思维相关词汇的使用增加与身体健康状况改善有关，但与心理健康无关。相对于负面情绪词汇，正面情绪词汇的更多使用也与更好的健康状况相关。从这些数据中得出的一项实证指标与随后的痛苦评分相关。第二项研究在30名因艾滋病失去伴侣的男性的访谈记录上测试了这些模型。认知变化和实证模型预测了丧亲后1年的痛苦程度。文中讨论了在叙事研究中使用基于计算机的文本分析的意义。
