Expressive writing intervention for newly diagnosed cancer patients

Abstract

Distress at the time of cancer diagnosis predicts distress during the cancer trajectory. This study examined the impact of home-based expressive writing intervention (EWI) on distress among newly diagnosed cancer-patients and whether EWI would be particularly beneficial for individuals with high social constraints in expressing their cancer-related emotions. Newly diagnosed prostate cancer patient (N=76) were randomized to: 1) EWI group who wrote, three-times at home, over a three-week period about their concerns regarding their cancer; 2) Control Group who wrote about facts regarding their cancer. Anxiety/depression (HADS), Impact of Events (IES), and Social-Constraints Scales were administered at baseline and 3 and 6 months post- intervention. ANCOVA revealed a significant group effect (p=0.005) and a significant groupXsocial constraints interaction (p=0.001) for IES. The EWI had lower symptoms at both follow-ups and EWI buffered the adverse effects of social constraints on symptoms. Identical results were obtained for HADS. Home-based expressive writing reduces distress among newly diagnosed cancer patients particularly for those that feel constraints in expressing their cancer-related emotions. This suggests the importance of providing patients with early interventions allowing emotional expression.