The Effects of Written Emotional Disclosure on Eating Disorder Pathology in a Clinical Eating Disordered Population

Study of the Efficacy of Written Emotional Disclosure on Eating Disorder Pathology

A technique that has been found to be effective at relieving the physical and psychological symptoms associated with inhibiting emotions and emotional thoughts is written emotional disclosure. The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of written emotional disclosure on the remediation of eating disorder behaviour, cognitions, and management of emotions.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Anorexia Nervosa; Bulimia Nervosa; Eating Disorder

Detailed Description

New Partial program participants complete a packet of questionnaires during their initial appointment, which will be used as baseline levels of eating disorder symptoms and psychological health. Participants will complete the writing as part of their eating disorder therapy. The writing will be completed individually. The writing will consist of continuous writing for fifteen minutes on three consecutive days. The experimental group will write about traumatic or stressful experiences, while the control group will objectively describe events. A post-writing packet of questionnaires will be completed one week after completing the writing. A follow-up evaluation will occur four-weeks after completion of the post-writing packet and will include completing a packet of questionnaires and debriefing.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 29

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, 17033
      • Penn State College of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years to 50 years (ADULT, CHILD)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients in the Penn State Hershey Adolescentand Adult Eating Disorders Partial Hospitalization Program

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Willing to sign consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unwilling to sign consent form

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
1 Disclosure; Traumatic writing prompts provided. Participant is assigned a potential stress-producing topic for written disclosure.
2 control; Received nontraumatic writing prompts. Participant assigned a non-stressful writing condition

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Testing and behavioral changes	6-weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Richard L Levine, MD, Penn State College of Medicine

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Pennebaker, J. W., Chung, C. K., Ireland, M., Gonzales, A., and Booth, R. J. (2007). The development and psychometric properties of LIWC2007. Retrieved June 1, 2008, from Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count web site http://www.LIWC.net/liwcdescription.php
• Pennebaker, J. W. and Francis, M. E. (1996). Cognitive, emotional, and language processes in disclosure. Cognition and Emotion, 10, 601-626.
• Pennebaker JW, Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Glaser R. Disclosure of traumas and immune function: health implications for psychotherapy. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1988 Apr;56(2):239-45. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.56.2.239. No abstract available.
• Petrie KJ, Booth RJ, Pennebaker JW. The immunological effects of thought suppression. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1998 Nov;75(5):1264-72. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.75.5.1264.
• Petrie KJ, Fontanilla I, Thomas MG, Booth RJ, Pennebaker JW. Effect of written emotional expression on immune function in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection: a randomized trial. Psychosom Med. 2004 Mar-Apr;66(2):272-5. doi: 10.1097/01.psy.0000116782.49850.d3.
• Quinton, S. and Wagner, H. L. (2005). Emotional expression, alexithymia, and characteristics associated with eating psychopathology in non-clinical women. Personality and Individual Differences, 38, 1163-1173.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: June 1, 2009
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): June 1, 2010
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): July 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 3, 2008
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 3, 2008
• First Posted (ESTIMATE): October 6, 2008

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): June 20, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 16, 2017
• Last Verified: June 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: anorexia; bulimia; eating disorder not otherwise specified
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Pathologic Processes; Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Hyperphagia; Anorexia; Anorexia Nervosa; Disease; Bulimia; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Bulimia Nervosa
• Other Study ID Numbers: 28860