Over the previous 20 years there was rising curiosity in, and analysis undertaken on, the potential advantages of expressive writing interventions for well being and wellbeing. Expressive writing interventions are low-intensity psychological interventions which may largely be self-administered by people collaborating.
Constructive expressive writing was an adaptation to analysis on written emotional disclosure, which discovered that writing emotionally, not simply factually, a few personally troublesome expertise was related to constructive well being and psychological results (Frattaroli, 2006). The widespread consider constructive expressive writing interventions is that as a substitute of inviting individuals to write down about how they may cut back unfavourable emotions, or to mirror on issues, the main focus is on cultivating constructive emotions or ideas, in widespread with different constructive psychology interventions (PPIs). The intention behind these ‘constructive’ expressive writing interventions is to not altogether substitute written emotional disclosure as an strategy in therapeutic writing, however to minimise the potential of individuals feeling short-term unfavourable feelings [which can come after negative disclosure] and the related danger of feeling burdened, however with out assist.
A scientific evaluate on the connection, if any, between writing interventions considered “constructive expressive writing interventions” and subjective well being and wellbeing, has been revealed by researchers at Northumbria College (Hoult et al, 2025). There are numerous writing methods understood as doubtlessly therapeutic in nature, together with writing that encourages emotional disclosure, which includes writing a few tense or traumatic expertise. This examine focuses as a substitute on methods that align with constructive psychology interventions (PPIs) that centre writing to advertise “constructive feelings, strengths and virtues”, so for instance writing about issues for which people are grateful, or writing that helps people to establish and identify positives even the place tense experiences have occurred.
The systematic evaluate centred on two questions:
- ‘What are the optimum circumstances underneath which constructive expressive writing advantages self-reported bodily and psychological well being and wellbeing?’
- ‘Which constructive expressive writing methods work finest, on what well being and wellbeing outcomes, and for whom?’
Writing emotionally, not simply factually, about troublesome experiences is related to constructive well being and wellbeing results. However which methods work finest, on what well being and wellbeing outcomes and for whom?
Strategies
This systematic evaluate, revealed in Might 2025, was carried out by accessing 4 databases (Internet of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and ProQuest: APA PsychArticles). The inhabitants of curiosity was non-clinical adults and the outcomes of curiosity have been subjective wellbeing (e.g., life satisfaction, constructive have an effect on, unfavourable have an effect on; Diener, 1984), psychological wellbeing (e.g., private development, goal in life; Ryff, 1989), self-reported psychological well being (e.g., nervousness, melancholy, stress) and bodily well being. The evaluate didn’t discover ‘goal’ well being and wellbeing outcomes and behaviours. Comparator teams included individuals being instructed solely to write down neutrally about routine or non-emotive subjects, akin to time administration and different elements of day by day life.
Peer-reviewed articles revealed within the English language between 1930 and August 2023 have been included within the evaluate. Every article was high quality assessed utilizing the Nationwide Institutes of Well being (NIH) High quality Evaluation of Managed Intervention Research which includes fourteen standards, together with adequacy of randomisation, and evaluation of all randomised individuals (i.e., intention-to-treat). Research with deadly flaws (e.g., a excessive total and/or differential dropout charges ) have been thought of vital danger for bias and have been rated as poor.
Outcomes
51 research have been included within the ultimate evaluate and 31 of those have been rated as poor in high quality.
Seven constructive expressive writing methods have been recognized together with expressive writing on very best self, constructive experiences, gratitude, profit discovering, satisfaction processes, writing about three good issues and preserving a useful resource diary. The vast majority of research have been carried out utilizing the standard mode first launched for written emotional disclosure interventions; three to 4 bursts of writing, every lasting 15-20 minutes and going down on consecutive days.
The three mostly researched interventions have been the interventions of taking a look at one’s ‘very best self’, writing about ‘constructive experiences’ and gratitude workouts.
Eighteen research explored the ‘very best self’ writing approach. Regardless of variations in how they utilized the train (e.g. altering the domains of self that have been checked out within the writing), they sometimes resulted in improved psychological and wellbeing outcomes, together with enhanced optimism, happiness and self-efficacy, in addition to reductions in ruminative pondering, psychological misery and self-criticism. The researchers state that the findings on constructive have an effect on, unfavourable have an effect on, melancholy and life satisfaction have been “combined, although most research discovered vital advantages throughout the measures.” Apparently, the place bodily well being outcomes have been thought of (in a single examine solely), there have been reductions in well being centre visits at a 5 month follow-up (King, 2001).
Sixteen research explored ‘writing about constructive experiences’. These interventions required individuals to write down about intensely constructive experiences on consecutive days or in clustered bursts of exercise. Of curiosity is that these research assessed extra bodily well being outcomes relative to the opposite writing interventions, however the outcomes right here have been combined. Self-reported bodily signs have been discovered to lower in two research, however didn’t enhance in one other three. Nonetheless, all sixteen research exploring this sort of intervention, discovered that constructive expertise writing led to enhancements in optimism, stress appraisal, and constructive have an effect on.
Eleven research assessed gratitude as an expressive writing intervention, the place individuals have been instructed to write down about elements of life for which they have been grateful, or a letter expressing gratitude to an individual or individuals of selection. As with the ‘very best self’ methods, advantages of gratitude interventions have been noticed for subjective wellbeing outcomes akin to happiness and life satisfaction. It’s additionally clear with ‘gratitude’ workouts that the outcomes are combined and probably muted for outcomes of self-reported psychological well being, akin to melancholy and nervousness.
There was one different expressive writing approach with adequate research underneath evaluate to benefit examination; profit discovering methods. ‘Profit discovering’ encourages individuals to write down about the advantages or positives following a tense or upsetting expertise. From the 5 research included within the evaluate, little concrete info might be added.
Writing concerning the ‘very best self’ and gratitude-related writing workouts confirmed the strongest enhancements in wellbeing outcomes akin to happiness.
Conclusions
The ‘very best self’ and ‘gratitude’ interventions appear, on the premise of high quality research accessible to evaluate, to include probably the most promise.
That is largely caveated by the extremely heterogeneous high quality of the general variety of opinions and analyses carried out hitherto, underscoring the necessity for extra rigour and consistency of strategy in future such research on constructive expressive writing interventions. It’s exhausting to be exact and distinguish whether or not, for ‘very best self’ and ‘gratitude’, what we’re seeing is a genuinely more practical strategy in how they sort out this concept of constructive expressive writing, or whether or not on this systematic evaluate, we’re merely seeing a bigger variety of psychological wellbeing outcomes assessed in contrast with different interventions, (e.g. profit discovering) which have been examined with an even bigger, and trickier, highlight on whether or not they led as a substitute to adjustments in well being.
Constructive expressive writing interventions tended to have a higher impact on wellbeing outcomes than well being outcomes on this evaluate.
Strengths and limitations
As a tutor of expressive writing, working with adults with mind tumours, adults with persistent kidney illness (CKD), in addition to populations that is perhaps deemed as ‘non-clinical’, (e.g. caregivers), the largest limitation of the evaluate is the absence of study or dialogue as to why non-clinical populations would possibly uniquely profit from constructive writing interventions.
There are a lot of legitimate explanation why research would solely contemplate the worth of constructive expressive writing, and outcomes achieved, in non-clinical populations. For instance, there’s a rising physique of proof that implies scholar populations, the main focus of lots of the research on this systematic evaluate, would possibly certainly profit from constructive writing interventions, however this isn’t positioned into a really analytical context.
Neither does the evaluate share any view, or include any dialogue on the long-run results of the Covid 19 pandemic, and why populations not thought of to be medical, so for instance well being and care professionals, would possibly nonetheless profit from constructive expressive writing interventions, even when, for the needs of this evaluate, they’re ‘non-clinical’.
In actuality it’s exhausting to separate out medical and non-clinical populations, and lots of college students and caregivers, or care professionals, may have undiagnosed well being and care wants, together with nervousness and melancholy. While it’s necessary we examine and study the worth of writing interventions throughout totally different populations, and the way interventions play out in numerous methods throughout these populations, the analysis doesn’t sufficiently enable for the chance that these populations have gotten ever extra blended. It wasn’t completely clear, for instance, how nonclinical populations have been screened for and recruited within the totally different research, and given the extent to which adults aged 18 and over both don’t have a prognosis for a well being drawback, aren’t due to this fact present process therapy, or don’t but recognise or know they’ve an issue, it wasn’t completely apparent why the research chosen have been confined in the best way they have been: to so-called nonclinical populations. This serves to obscure and underplay why sure sectors and establishments would do effectively to prioritise constructive writing interventions – for instance hospitals and care groups who would possibly roll out or pilot the intervention with their underneath stress and sometimes fatigued workforce.
Can we actually separate out medical and non-clinical populations?
Implications for follow
This evaluate highlights that particular person variations referring to emotional, social and wellbeing components (e.g. emotional processing and coping), might “reasonable intervention effectiveness”. That is probably underplayed, and clearly warrants extra evaluation. The researchers spotlight fifteen moderating results on intervention effectiveness in complete, however not one examine throughout the systematic evaluate checked out greater than a single moderator.
Close to how interventions must be delivered, not simply what the interventions are, there was once more vital ‘heterogeneity’ in intervention supply which the researchers conclude, “makes it difficult to attract inferences concerning…management group, the writing period and spacing of periods, and size of follow-up.” This can be a useful evaluate, and well timed too as entry to inventive well being continues to be mentioned as a social determinant in stopping or managing in poor health well being (Fancourt, 2019). Rightly, although, the researchers conclude far more analysis is required in future. Future research of constructive expressive writing interventions might want to have added rigour in figuring out and defining which well being outcomes and variables they’re focusing on.
This evaluate is well timed given the mounting proof that inventive interventions can forestall or handle in poor health well being.
Assertion of pursuits
Andrew Kaye Kauffman has no pursuits to declare.
Edited by
Laura Hemming.
Hyperlinks
Main paper
Hoult LM, Wetherell MA, Edginton T, Smith MA (2025) Constructive expressive writing interventions, subjective well being and wellbeing in non-clinical populations: A scientific evaluate. PLoS One 20(5): e0308928.
Different references
Diener, E. (1984) Subjective well-being. Psychology Bulletin 95(3), 542–75.
Fancourt, D. & Finn, S. (2019). What’s the proof on the position of the humanities in bettering well being and well-being? A scoping evaluate. World Well being Group. Regional Workplace for Europe.
King, L.A. (2001). The Well being Advantages of Writing about Life Targets. Persona and Social Psychology Bulletin 27(7), 798-807.
Ryff, C.D. (1989). Happiness is every thing, or is it? Explorations on the which means of psychological well-being. Journal of Persona and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069–1081.
