Does self-affirmation, cognitive processing, or discovery of meaning explain cancer-related health benefits of expressive writing?
Does self-affirmation, cognitive processing, or discovery of meaning explain cancer-related health benefits of expressive writing?
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DOI：
10.1177/0146167206294412
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发表时间：
2007-02-01
影响因子：
4
通讯作者：
Sherman, David K.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Creswell, J. David;Lam, Suman;Sherman, David K.
尽管表达性写作对健康有积极影响，但人们对这些影响的潜在心理机制知之甚少。本研究评估了自我肯定、认知处理和意义发现作为表达性写作对早期乳腺癌幸存者身体健康影响的潜在中介因素。对文章的内容分析表明，在 3 个月的随访评估中，自我肯定写作与较少的身体症状相关，自我肯定写作完全调节了情感表达和寻找利益的写作条件对减少身体症状的影响。认知处理和意义书写的发现与任何身体健康结果无关。与表明自我肯定在缓冲压力中发挥重要作用的证据相一致，本研究提供了第一个证据，证明自我肯定是表达性写作对健康有益的可行机制。
Although expressive writing has Positive effects on health, little is known about the underlying psychological mechanisms for these effects. The present study assessed self-affirmation, cognitive processing, and discovery of meaning as potential mediators of the effects of expressive writing on physical health in early-stage breast cancer survivors. A content analysis of the essays showed that self-affirmation writing was associated with fewer physical symptoms at a 3-month follow-up assessment, with self-affirmation writing fully mediating the effects of the emotional expression and benefit-finding writing conditions on reduced physical symptoms. Cognitive processing and discovery of meaning writing were not associated with any physical health outcomes. Consistent with evidence showing that self-affirmation plays an important role in buffering stress, the present study provides the first evidence for self-affirmation as a viable mechanism underlying the health benefits of expressive writing.