Feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of an online expressive writing intervention for COVID-19 resilience

Abstract

Background & purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted mental health in the general population. In this trial, our objective was to assess whether a 6-week expressive writing intervention improves resilience in a sample from the general population in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials & methods This 6-week trial was conducted online. Eligible participants (n=63) were a sample of adults who self-identified as having been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Primary outcome Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Secondary outcomes Perceived Stress Scale – 10-Item (PSS-10); Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale – Revised (CESD-R); Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). Results Resilience measures (CD-RISC) increased from baseline (66.6 ± 14.9) to immediately post-intervention (73.0 ± 12.4; p=0.014; Cohen’s d =0.31), and at a 1- month follow-up (72.9 ± 13.6; p=0.024; Cohen’s d =0.28). Across the same timepoints, perceived stress scores (PSS-10) decreased from baseline (21.8 ± 6.6) to immediately post-intervention (18.3 ± 7.0; p=0.008; Cohen’s d =0.41), and at the 1- month follow-up to (16.8 ± 6.7; p=0.0002; Cohen’s d =0.56). Depression symptoms (CESD-R) decreased from baseline (23.3 ± 15.3) at 6 weeks (17.8 ± 15.4; p=0.058; Cohen’s d =0.22), and 10 weeks (15.5 ± 12.7; p=0.004; Cohen’s d =0.38). Posttraumatic growth (PTGI) increased from baseline (41.7 ± 23.4) at 6 weeks (55.8 ± 26.4; p=0.004; Cohen’s d =0.44), and at the 1-month follow-up (55.9 ± 29.3; p=0.008; Cohen’s d =0.49). Conclusion An online expressive writing intervention was effective at improving resilience in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. NCT# NCT04589104

Loss, adaptation and growth: The experiences of creative arts therapists during the Covid-19 pandemic

“…Since the outbreak of the pandemic, several studies have examined the experience of clients and therapists in the virtual and distanced space. For example, psychodrama ( Biancalani et al, 2021 ), drama therapy ( Atsmon et al, 2022 , Wood et al, 2020 ), music therapy ( Lee et al, 2021 ), art therapy ( Biro-Hannah, 2021 , Zubala et al, 2021 ), dance movement therapy ( Lotan Mesika et al, 2021 ) and expressive writing therapy studies ( Bechard et al, 2021 ) all indicate that despite the challenges, tele-CAT is perceived as a good-enough alternative under some circumstances, such as social and geographic distancing, and may even have some benefits ( Feniger-Schaal et al, 2022 ).…”

Research on Expressive Writing in Psychology: A Forty-year Bibliometric Analysis and Visualization of Current Status and Research Trends

“…Besides, Due to the rapid development of positive psychology, the research focusing on stress, trauma, and pain seemed to have been redirected to the “positive effects”, such as “posttraumatic growth,” “quality of life,” and “resilience.” Because of the pandemic, “COVID-19” has been included in studies in the past two years. Bechard et al (2021) found that the online expressive writing intervention in the general population proves effective in improving resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Davis et al (2020) proposed that expressive writing can promote athletes’ mental health due to disruptions to training sessions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…Because of the pandemic, "COVID-19" has been included in studies in the past two years. Bechard et al (2021) found that the online expressive writing intervention in the general population proves effective in improving resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Davis et al (2020) proposed that expressive writing can promote athletes' mental health due to disruptions to training sessions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Storytelling of Young Adults with Chronic Rheumatologic Illnesses: A Pilot Study

“…Over 90% of participants completed pre-study questionnaires and post-participation interviews demonstrating feasibility of the implementation of questionnaires with participation, with 77% completing post-study questionnaires. These completion rates are higher than many other similarly structured interventions, with 71% completion rate for a therapeutic songwriting intervention for those with dementia and their care givers and 73% completion rate for participation in online expressive writing intervention for COVID-19 resilience [ 26 , 27 ].…”