ABSTRACT

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the possible positive effects of the Expressive Writing paradigm on a sample of Romanian female cancer patients. The major tenet of this paradigm is that if individuals with high levels of distress express in writing, for three or four consecutive writing sessions, their deepest thoughts and emotions regarding the activating event and its consequences, on the follow-up assessment they would experience significantly lower levels of distress, and improved physical and/or psychological functioning. Our study has evinced, that the participants of the sample we investigated has experienced at the follow-up assessment significantly lower levels of distress, and significantly higher levels of positive meaning in life and benefit finding, however, the results may depend on the pre-intervention levels of depression. Nevertheless, the Expressive Writing task has not significantly contributed in our sample to the enhancement of the levels of positive emotions.

KEYWORDS: Expressive Writing paradigm, distress, meaning in life, benefit finding.

PAGES: 115-129