Effects of written emotional disclosure on caregivers of children and adolescents with chronic illness

OBJECTIVE: Tested feasibility of a written emotional disclosure intervention with caregivers of youths with chronic illness and its effects on measures of mood, physical symptoms, health-related quality of life, distress, and caregiver appraisal of stress and efficacy. METHODS: Measures were administered prior to and immediately after writing and 4 months later. Experimental group (n = 29) wrote about traumas and stressors while the control group (n = 25) wrote about summer activities for 20 minutes on three different days. RESULTS: Consistent with hypotheses, the experimental group experienced less positive affect, F(1, 54) = 4.68, p <.05, and more negative affect, F(1, 54) = 7.92, p <.01, and physical symptoms, F(1, 54) = 4.30, p <.05, immediately following writing than the control group. There were no significant Group x Time interactions on long-term mood, distress, health-related quality of life, or caregiver appraisal. Contrary to hypotheses, the control group had more vitality over time, F(1, 53) = 21.29, p <.001, than the experimental group. CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations include modifying the procedures to attain more control in applied settings and identifying specific processes that contribute to the efficacy of written emotional disclosure on well-being.