The Effect Of Written Emotional Disclosure On The Physical And Psychological Health

Recently, research investigating the written expression of traumatic life experience in the foreign countries has been show to produce both psychological or physical benefits. The article sum the basic writing paradigm and the results of the written disclosure in foreign country and discuss its effect on psychological and physical health , its mechanisms, and the affecting factors. The underlying theory of it is needed to be researched. Objectives: Using the Chinese as participants, investigate the effect of written emotional disclosure on the psychological or physical health under the home-based condition. Design and method: A group of 129 male and female undergraduates were randomly assigned to three writing groups: (1) a trauma disclosure writing group (T group); (2) a positive emotion writing group to control for affect arousal (P group); and (3) a neutral writing group to control for any affect arousal either positive or negative (N group). Process measures were taken before and after each 3 day, 20 minute writing session. All participants completed questionnaires that assessed psychological and physical functioning at both the baseline and the end of the semester (approximately 9 weeks later). Results: Both the physical symptom and the anxiety of T group is significant less than the other two groups, while there isn't any significant difference between P group and N group. Conclusions: In the long run, written emotional disclosure of traumatic events benefits both psychological and physical health.