The Effects of Expressive Writing and Compassionate Letter Writing on Emotional Distress Intolerance

The Effects of Expressive Writing and Compassionate Letter Writing on Emotional Distress Intolerance: A Brief Randomized Controlled Trial

Perceived emotional distress intolerance is a transdiagnostic marker of psychopathology associated with psychological and interpersonal dysfunction, and the development of interventions for perceived emotional distress intolerance is of prime importance. One potential intervention is a behavioural experiment, i.e. a cognitive behaviour therapy technique where clients undergo an exercise designed to test a maladaptive belief, e.g., that negative emotions are unbearable, and adjust their belief to accommodate any disconfirmatory information that arises through the exercise. This study examines the effects of a one-session self-compassion writing behavioural experiment compared to a one-session expressive writing behavioural experiment on low perceived distress tolerance. Participants were recruited from the University of Waterloo and Prolific, and were randomly assigned to the self-compassion condition, expressive writing condition, or a control condition.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Distress Intolerance
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Self-compassionate writing intervention; Other: Expressive writing intervention; Other: Control writing task

Detailed Description

The study consisted of two online surveys. During the first survey, participants answered a set of questionnaires. Then, they were prompted to think of an upsetting situation and the associated unpleasant emotions, and they were then randomly assigned to a brief self-compassionate writing, expressive writing, or neutral writing task. They then answered a series of questionnaires immediately after completing the writing task. During the second survey, one week later, participants answered a brief set of questionnaires.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 424
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Ontario
    • Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L3G1
      • University of Waterloo

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria for University of Waterloo sample:

• Undergraduate students with a SONA account who are high in emotional distress intolerance (i.e. a lower-than-average score on the Distress Tolerance Scale; mean based on SONA student sample)

Inclusion Criteria for Prolific sample:

• Adults with a Prolific account who are high in emotional distress intolerance (i.e. a lower-than-average score on the Distress Tolerance Scale; mean based on Prolific sample)
• First language English speakers

Exclusion Criteria:

• None

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Self-compassionate writing intervention; Participants assigned to this intervention were asked to engage in one brief online self-compassionate writing session, where they were asked to write about and experience their feelings from the perspective of an inner compassionate observer.	Other: Self-compassionate writing intervention; Participants assigned to this intervention were asked to engage in one brief online self-compassionate writing session, where they were asked to write about and experience their feelings from the perspective of an inner compassionate observer.
Experimental: Expressive writing intervention; Participants assigned to this intervention were asked to engage in one brief online expressive writing session, where they were asked to explore their deepest thoughts and emotions surrounding an upsetting situation through writing.	Other: Expressive writing intervention; Participants assigned to this intervention were asked to engage in one brief online expressive writing session, where they were asked to explore their deepest thoughts and emotions surrounding an upsetting situation through writing.
Active Comparator: Control writing task; Participants assigned to this condition were asked to engage in a neutral time management writing task.	Other: Control writing task; Participants assigned to this condition were asked to engage in a neutral time management writing task.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Distress Tolerance Scale	Self-report questionnaire with 15 questions on a 5-point Likert scale (scored 1-5, with 4 subscales). Mean scores range from 1-5, with higher increase in score indicative of increased perceived distress tolerance.	Change from baseline to one week post-intervention
Distress Tolerance Scale (short form)	Self-report questionnaire with 4 questions on a 5-point Likert scale (scored 1-5). Mean scores range from 1-5, with higher score indicative of greater perceived distress tolerance.	Immediately post-intervention
Endorsement and Discomfort Scale (adapted)	Self-report questionnaire with 10 questions on a 9-point Likert scale (scored 1-9). Total scores range from 10-90, with higher score indicative of greater acceptability of intervention.	Immediately post-intervention
Endorsement and Discomfort Scale (adapted)	Self-report questionnaire with 10 questions on a 9-point Likert scale (scored 1-9). Total scores range from 10-90, with higher score indicative of greater acceptability of intervention.	One week post-intervention
Compassionate Engagement and Action Scale	Self-report questionnaire with 13 questions on a 10-point Likert scale (scored 1-10). Three questions are reverse-scored and not included in scoring. Total scores range from 10-100, with higher increase in score indicative of increased emotional engagement	Change from baseline to one week post-intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Soothing affect measures (researcher-generated) - Adapted from the Serenity Subscale of the PANAS-X and the Safe/Warmth Positive Affect Subscale of the Types of Positive Affect Scale (TPAS)	Self-report questionnaire with 7 questions on a 5-point Likert scale (scored 1-5). Total scores range from 7-35, with higher score indicative of more soothing affect.	Immediately post-intervention (assessed as a mediator)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Waterloo
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Allison Kelly, PhD, Associate Professor

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 4, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 21, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): July 21, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 8, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 16, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): March 17, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 8, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 2, 2022
• Last Verified: September 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 42863

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No