The Role of Affect Regulation and Self-presentation in the Expressive Writing Intervention

• Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale [ Time Frame: Initial session; One month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Pennebaker Inventory of Limbic Languidness [ Time Frame: Initial session; One month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition [ Time Frame: Initial session; One month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]

The purpose of the present study is twofold. First, we will attempt to examine the role that emotion regulation and self-presentation play as potential moderators in the expressive writing paradigm. We hypothesize that expressive writing participants who demonstrate greater abilities to regulate their emotions at baseline will improve more on our outcome measures. We also hypothesize that those expressive writing participants who demonstrate higher levels of self-presentation at baseline will improve less on our outcome measures.

The second aim of the study has two related objectives. First, we will attempt to investigate whether the expressive writing intervention can increase and enhance an individual's emotion regulation abilities. Related to this, we will then go on to examine whether emotion regulation can be looked at as a potential mechanism of action in the expressive writing procedure. Related to these two objectives, we hypothesize that in comparison to the control group, participants in the expressive writing condition will show increases in their ability to regulate their emotions from baseline to four week follow up. Moreover, we predict that greater gains in emotion regulation abilities for the expressive writing participants will be significantly related to greater gains in outcome measures.

• Behavioral: Expressive Writing
  Participants will write about their experienced trauma for 20 minutes on each of three consecutive days using techniques associated with expressive writing
  Other Name: Emotional writing
• Behavioral: Control
  Participants will write as factually as possible about an assigned trivial topic for 20 minutes on each of three consecutive days

• Experimental: Expressive Writing
  Intervention: Behavioral: Expressive Writing
• Placebo Comparator: Control
  Intervention: Behavioral: Control

Inclusion Criteria:

• Fluent in English
• Previously experienced trauma (not current or ongoing; excluding bereavement)
• Currently experiencing trauma-related distress

Exclusion Criteria:

• Currently involved in psychotherapy
• Currently taking psychotropic medications
• Imminent threat to self or others