Written Emotional Disclosure Paradigm: Effects on Posttraumatic Stress Symtoms and Posttraumatic Growth among Spouses of Cancer Patients

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to test the effects of written emotional disclosure paradigm which is an pro-per intervention method for traumatic situations on posttraumatic stress symptoms and posttraumatic growth among spouses of cancer patients. Method: A total of 50 spouses (35 women, 15 men) of patients who are within more than 6 months of cancer diagnosis and admitted Uludag University Faculty of Medicine Medical Oncology Department were included in this study. Participants age ranged from 37 to 70 (M=53.66, SD=7.69). Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions to write during 15-min sessions in 4 consecutive days: positive, negative and negative + positive (mixed) written emotional disclosure. Sociodemographic Information Form; before the first writing session, after the fourth writing session and 1 month later Impact of Event Scale-Revised and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory were administered to all participants. Results: Results of the study showed that written emotional disclosure had no significant effect on traumatic symptoms and posttraumatic growth. However, there was a time-dependent increase on posttraumatic growth total score and 'changes in relationship with others' and 'changes in philosophy of life sub-scales from pre-writing to post-writing. Discussion: The increase observed in posttraumatic growth from prewriting to post-writing suggests that this intervention may be important for preventive health services.