Efficacy of positive expressive writing in reducing depression and social anxiety symptoms among schoolchildren during Covid-19
A randomized controlled trial
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4227258 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Chao S Hu (0000-0003-3315-9651, Guangzhou University), Haotian Zhang (0009-0008-1415-6221, Wuhan University), Lihao Hu (0000-0001-7115-6326, Ruijin Fifth Secondary School, China), Ling Hu (0000-0002-8967-2254, Ruijin Hospital), Artur Nadiiev (0009-0009-1301-5205, University of Nottingham), Jing Yan (0000-0002-0680-657X), Junru Yan (0009-0008-1336-0482, Southeast University, China), Mengyuan Liu (0000-0002-1257-7662, Southeast University, China) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Pages | 2516-2528 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Health Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1359-1053 • E-ISSN: 1461-7277 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/13591053241295446 |
| PMID | 39545689 |
| OpenAlex | W4404393851 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 43 |
The COVID-19 pandemic harmed children's mental health, and limited therapy access exacerbates the issue. We studied positive expressive writing (EW) as a psychological intervention for teachers to reduce depression and social anxiety symptoms among schoolchildren. Altogether, 165 Chinese schoolchildren aged 10-15 were randomly assigned to positive EW, memory EW, or control group. EW groups wrote for 10 minutes weekly for 7 weeks about people and things they felt grateful for (positive EW) or memorable in the past week. The control group continued with regular weekly class meetings. All groups measured depression and social anxiety before and after the intervention. Positive EW significantly reduced depression and social anxiety symptoms compared to the control condition (both Cohen's d = −0.45) and reduced social anxiety symptoms compared to memory EW (Cohen's d = −0.32). Therefore, teachers can implement positive EW to support schoolchildren's mental health recovery during and after disasters
Anxiety · Depression (economics · Intervention (counseling · Mental health · Psychiatry · Psychotherapist · Randomized controlled trial · Social support · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Digital Mental Health Interventions · Medicine · Mental Health via Writing · Psychology · Clinical Psychology · Internal Medicine
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| Highly cited | No |
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