Does Expressive Writing Reduce Stress and Improve Health for Family Caregivers of Older Adults?

Autor/inn/en	Mackenzie, Corey S.; Wiprzycka, Ursula J.; Hasher, Lynn; Goldstein, David
Titel	Does Expressive Writing Reduce Stress and Improve Health for Family Caregivers of Older Adults?
Quelle	In: Gerontologist, 47 (2007) 3, S.296-306 (11 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0016-9013
Schlagwörter	Physical Health; Caregivers; Time Management; Expressive Language; Day Programs; Older Adults; Stress Variables; Stress Management; Writing (Composition); Emotional Response; Self Disclosure (Individuals); Comparative Analysis; Mental Health; Foreign Countries; Coping; Canada + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Gesundheitszustand; Caregiver; Carer; Betreuungsperson; Pfleger; Zeitmanagement; Älterer Erwachsener; Stressmanagement; Stressbewältigung; Schreibübung; Emotionales Verhalten; Psychohygiene; Ausland; Bewältigung; Kanada
Abstract	Purpose: We examined whether written emotional disclosure reduces stress and improves health outcomes for family caregivers of physically frail and cognitively impaired older adults, as it has been shown to do for certain student and clinical populations. Design and Methods: Primary caregivers of older adults attending a day program were randomly assigned to expressive-writing (n = 14), time-management (n = 13), or history-writing (n = 13) conditions. Participants wrote for 20 minutes on four occasions over a 2-week period, and they completed self-report measures of caregiver burden and health prior to the intervention, immediately afterward, and at 1-month follow-up. Results: Contrary to expectations, expressive-writing and history-writing participants performed similarly across outcomes. Only caregiver participants in the time-management condition experienced significant mental and physical health improvements after writing. Implications: The results of this study add to a growing body of research demonstrating equivocal effects of expressive writing with clinical samples, and they suggest the potential benefit of written time management for stressed caregivers. (Contains 3 tables.) (Author).
Anmerkungen	Gerontological Society of America. 1030 15th Street NW Suite 250, Washington, DC 20005. Tel: 202-842-1275; Fax: 202-842-1150; e-mail: geron@geron.org; Web site: http://www.geron.org/journals/gsapub.htm
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10