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

University of Waterloo

Status: Completed

Conditions: Distress Intolerance

Treatments: Other: Self-compassionate writing intervention; Other: Expressive writing intervention; Other: Control writing task

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05284578

42863

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Full 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.

Enrollment: 424 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

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

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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424 participants in 3 patient groups

Self-compassionate writing intervention

Experimental group

Description:

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.

Treatment:

Other: Self-compassionate writing intervention

Expressive writing intervention

Experimental group

Description:

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.

Treatment:

Other: Expressive writing intervention

Control writing task

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants assigned to this condition were asked to engage in a neutral time management writing task.

Treatment:

Other: Control writing task