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EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT WRITTEN DISCLOSURE INTERVENTIONS AND THE MECHANISMS OF ACTION RESPONSIBLE FOR REDUCING MALADAPTIVE RUMINATION AMONG BROODERS
Title
EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT WRITTEN DISCLOSURE INTERVENTIONS AND THE MECHANISMS OF ACTION RESPONSIBLE FOR REDUCING MALADAPTIVE RUMINATION AMONG BROODERS
Creator
Coyle, Cynthia Weinstein
Date
2013, 2013-07
Description
Brooding is a maladaptive form of rumination associated with negative bias, emotion dysregulation, ineffective problem solving, and depression...
Show moreBrooding is a maladaptive form of rumination associated with negative bias, emotion dysregulation, ineffective problem solving, and depression (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991; Treynor, Gonzalez, & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2003). Some data indicate that writing interventions reduce brooding (Gortner, Rude & Pennebaker, 2006). What is less known are the mechanisms whereby writing counteracts brooding. The primary aim of this study was: (1) to examine the effects of writing conditions on functioning in brooders and (2) to provide empirical support for the mechanisms of action for how writing reduces brooding. Those who wrote from specific instructions were hypothesized to increase their cognitive appraisal, emotion regulation, and problem-solving abilities, thereby reducing brooding more than those writing from expressive writing and control group instructions. Writing also was hypothesized to reduce brooding through these mechanisms. Gaining a greater understanding of which writing techniques were most effective in reducing brooding and of how brooding is reduced is important for rumination research and therapeutic practice. Eighty-eight adults recruited from a mid-western university and the general population were divided into two experimental conditions (Expressive Writing (EW) and Self-Regulation/Problem-Solving (SR/PS) and one control group. A 3 X 2 MANOVA was conducted to determine whether improvements after the writing intervention were (a) greater in the EW and SR/PS conditions than in the control condition and (b) greater in the SR/PS condition than in the EW condition. A 3 X 2 MANOVA also was conducted to determine whether there were reductions in negative cognitive word use over time. Participants completed a survey of their subjective experience at the end of the study. ix Contrary to predictions, none of the hypotheses were supported. Improvements were not greater in either experimental group compared to the control group or in the SR/PS condition compared to the EW on any of the outcome variables. Only the use of anger words was significantly reduced over time. Given there were no significant reductions in brooding and no relationship between the predictor and outcome variables, a mediation analyses was not conducted. In contrast, subjective reports indicated that participants in the experimental conditions perceived the study to have greater meaning and felt happier after the study compared to the control group. Participants also reported improved emotion regulation, cognitive processing and problem-solving abilities. The findings suggest considering of an individual’s perception of treatment benefits when determining effectiveness.
PH.D in Psychology, July 2013
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