Faculty Mentor(s)

Dr. Daryl Van Tongeren, Psychology

Document Type

Poster

Event Date

4-12-2024

Abstract

Research suggests that repeated expressive writing is beneficial for one's health and can help individuals psychologically process adversity (Sexton & Pennebaker, 2009). Because research has demonstrated that expressive writing improves one's outlook on life, it is valuable to determine the most effective method of expressive writing for the best outcomes on mental health. One valuable mechanism by which a journal may improve mental health is through enhancing meaning (Edwards & Van Tongeren, 2020). Accordingly, we examined the longitudinal effects of journaling mental health over time. We hypothesized that participants who journal over a series of weeks with the intention of making meaning would report increased levels of positive mental health over time and relative to those in the standard journaling or neutral conditions. Undergraduate Participants (N = 124) were recruited to participate in a journaling study. Participants completed several baseline measures assessing anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-8), and meaning in life (MLQ). The study used a mixed longitudinal design where participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: meaning-making journaling, standard journaling, and a neutral condition. The longitudinal study took eight weeks to complete. Participants completed five assessments in the lab. The first four assessments were one week apart, and a final session was conducted four weeks after the fourth journaling session. During each session, participants journaled and answered the series of questionnaires. All participants are enrolled, and data are currently finishing being collected. Our next steps include coding the journaling responses and analyzing the data. We predict that (a) over time, those in the meaning-making conditioning will report improved mental health and meaning in life, and (b) these improvements would be significantly greater relative to those in the standard journaling or neutral conditions. We will fully complete these analyses ahead of the CURCA conference.

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