Impact of expressive writing on emotional states of patients with cardiovascular disease

Abstract

Emotional disturbance often interferes with the adoption and maintenance of rehabilitation programmes and seems to worsen outcomes of medical treatment during rehabilitation. A growing body of research supports the efficacy of expressive writing for improvement of emotional states in the medically ill population. Aim. To examine the effect of expressive writing intervention on the emotional states of rehabilitation hospital patients with cardiovascular disease. Methods. Emotional states were assesed with the PANAS – X at the beginning and at the end of the research. Expressive writing group (n = 15) wrote about deepest thoughts and feelings about a trauma, neutral writing group (n = 15) wrote about daily events, and non-writing group (n = 18) wrote nothing. The average of results of PANAS – X were compared. Results. The expressive writing group experienced less NA and negative mood after intervention, but there were no significant changes of PA and positive mood. There were no changes of emotional states in the neutral writing group, except fatigue. The changes of positive emotional states (except attentiveness and surprise) and the changes of NA, fear and shyness were more in the expressive writing group than in the neutral writing group after intervention. The changes of emotional states in the expressive writing and non – writing groups were similar, except change of fear, which was more in the expressive writing group Conclusion. Expressive writing appeared to be an effective method for decreasing negative affect and negative mood of patients with cardiovascular disease during rehabilitation.