Expressive disclosure and benefit finding among breast cancer patients: mechanisms for positive health effects.
Title | Expressive disclosure and benefit finding among breast cancer patients: mechanisms for positive health effects. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2006 |
Authors | Low CA, Stanton AL, Danoff-Burg S |
Journal | Health Psychol |
Volume | 25 |
Issue | 2 |
Pagination | 181-9 |
Date Published | 2006 Mar |
ISSN | 0278-6133 |
Keywords | Affect, 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. |
DOI | 10.1037/0278-6133.25.2.181 |
Alternate Journal | Health Psychol |
PubMed ID | 16569109 |