Expressive Writing as a Therapeutic Process for Drug Dependent Women

描述(由申请人提供)：研究指出，患有物质使用障碍(SUD)的女性生活中人际关系创伤的比例过高。创伤和成瘾共病研究一直表明，与那些没有创伤经历或创伤后应激障碍(PTSD)症状的女性相比，这些女性的健康状况更差，临床表现更严重，治疗依从性也更差。虽然创伤传统上不被纳入SUD治疗，但研究表明，在SUD治疗期间处理创伤可能会改善治疗结果。过去二十年来积累的证据表明，通过抒情写作披露创伤或压力经历对心理和身体健康都有广泛的好处。尽管彭尼贝克的表现力写作范式的好处已经引起了很多关注，但它还没有在南德人群中得到检验。表现性写作的有效性、效率和成本效益表明，它作为一种披露创伤经历的手段，可能是传统SUD治疗的有力补充。拟议的项目将审查：a)Pennebaker的表现性写作范式是否有利于目前正在接受SUD治疗的妇女；b)写作任务对短期和长期痛苦的影响；c)使用语言调查和字数统计(LIWC)的论文中的语言变量。研究对象将是在Rubcon公司接受住院治疗的女性。写作模式包括在连续四天内每天写一篇关于指定主题的文章，每次20分钟。在基线时，参与者将完成评估创伤后严重程度、痛苦、渴望、抑郁和健康症状的问卷。在第一次写作时，参与者将被分配到两种情况中的一种，并被要求写下一次个人创伤/压力经历或一个中性话题。在第二节到第四节的写作中，参与者将保持第一节中指定的条件，写作时间为20分钟。在后续行动中，将完成在编写之前实施的措施。如果结果被证明是有希望的，他们将支持表达写作作为一种简短、成本效益高的、对当前SUD治疗的补充。结果还意味着，应更广泛地考虑将其与目前的SUD治疗方式结合使用，并且在治疗过程中可以同时解决SUD和创伤的潜在问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Studies point to overwhelming rates of interpersonal trauma in the lives of women with Substance Use Disorders (SUD). Trauma and addiction comorbidity studies consistently reveal these women are likely to have poorer health, more severe clinical profiles, and worse treatment adherence, than those without traumatic experiences or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomatology. While trauma has traditionally not been incorporated into SUD treatment, studies indicate that addressing trauma during SUD treatment may improve treatment outcomes. Accumulating evidence over the past two decades indicates disclosure of traumatic or stressful experiences through expressive writing has widespread mental and physical health benefits. Although much attention has focused on the benefits of Pennebaker's expressive writing paradigm, it has not been examined with a SUD population. Expressive writings' efficacy, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness suggest its use as a means for disclosing traumatic experiences may be a powerful adjunct to traditional SUD treatment. The proposed project will examine: a) whether Pennebaker's expressive writing paradigm benefits women currently in SUD treatment; b) the influence of the writing task over immediate and long-term distress; c) language variables in essays using a Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). The population will be women enrolled in residential treatment at Rubicon, Inc. The writing paradigm includes writing about an assigned topic daily for 20 minute sessions over four consecutive days. At baseline, participants will complete questionnaires assessing post-traumatic severity, distress, craving, depressive, and health symptoms. At writing session one, participants will be assigned to one of two conditions, and asked to write about either a personal traumatic/stressful experience or a neutral topic. In writing sessions two through four, participants will write for 20 min maintaining the same condition as assigned in session one. At follow-up, measures administered prior to writing will be completed. If results prove promising, they will support expressive writing as a brief, cost effective, adjunct to current SUD treatment. Results will also imply that its use, in conjunction with current SUD treatment modalities, should be more broadly considered, and that problems underlying SUD and trauma could be simultaneously addressed during treatment.