Therapeutic Benefits of Expressive Writing in an Electronic Format

Atkinson, Ronda; Hare, Tania; Merriman, Miranda; Vogel, Anne S.

doi:10.1097/naq.0b013e3181accabc

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…Danoff-Burg and colleagues (2010) found that a higher level of narrative, compared to emotionality, is associated with greater mental health gains, and just as with emotional writing, narrative writing can lower perceived stress and depressive symptoms. With regard to blogging, Atkinson and coworkers (2009) posited that the beneficial outcomes associated with expressive writing combined with the increased prominence of online social networking presents a promising opportunity for future research and clinical work. A recent study of blogging for cancer patients found that the process enabled patients to reconstruct their life story and fostered feelings of closure and an expectation that they would be remembered after their death (Chiu & Hsieh, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visible ink: A flexible and individually tailored writing intervention for cancer patients

Corner

Jhanwar

Kelman³

et al. 2013

Pall Supp Care

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Objectives Subjective reports on the effectiveness of and satisfaction with writing interventions in medical populations have indicated that they can have a profound impact on patients. Further, past research on these programs has demonstrated that they can lead to a number of different positive outcomes depending on the personal characteristics of the participating patients and the type of writing with which they are tasked. For this reason, a flexible and individually tailored writing intervention may be particularly effective for patients, molding its approach to their desires and backgrounds. This paper examines Visible Ink, a writing program for cancer patients at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) that follows this model. Methods At Visible Ink’s First Fall Writing Festival in November 2012, an optional survey was provided to all program participants in attendance, capturing both quantitative and qualitative information on patient experiences in the program. Twenty-nine surveys were completed. Results The program appears to have a variety of positive effects, including fostering personal growth and providing a positive distraction. Respondents reported that they write in a number of different genres on topics both related and not related to their illnesses, which supports the flexible model of the program. All respondents indicated that they would recommend the program to others, and satisfaction with the program’s general approach (i.e., individualized work with a writing coach) was unanimous. A few areas for potential improvement were also identified, most of which involved expanding the services and events offered by the program. Significance of results Despite the limitations of this survey (e.g., small sample size and low response rate), its results support the promise of the Visible Ink model and demonstrate participants’ satisfaction with the program. Future research can more thoroughly examine Visible Ink’s effectiveness, and additional resources could enable the program to expand.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%