Expressive disclosure and benefit finding among breast cancer patients: mechanisms for positive health effects.

TitleExpressive disclosure and benefit finding among breast cancer patients: mechanisms for positive health effects.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2006
AuthorsLow CA, Stanton AL, Danoff-Burg S
JournalHealth Psychol
Volume25
Issue2
Pagination181-9
Date Published2006 Mar
ISSN0278-6133
KeywordsAffect, Breast Neoplasms, Female, Heart Rate, Humans, Prospective Studies, Surveys and Questionnaires, Truth Disclosure, Writing
Abstract

A randomized trial (n = 60; A. L. Stanton, S. Danoff-Burg, L. A. Sworowski, et al., 2002) revealed that 4 sessions of written expressive disclosure or benefit finding produced lower physical symptom reports and medical appointments for cancer-related morbidities at 3-month follow-up among breast cancer patients relative to a fact-control condition. The goal of this article is to investigate mechanisms underlying these effects. Within-session heart rate habituation mediated effects of expressive disclosure on physical symptoms, and greater use of negative emotion words in essays predicted a decline in physical symptoms. Postwriting mood and use of positive emotion and cognitive mechanism words in essays were not significant mediators, although greater cognitive mechanism word use was related to greater heart rate habituation and negative emotion word use.

DOI10.1037/0278-6133.25.2.181
Alternate JournalHealth Psychol
PubMed ID16569109