Abstract
This randomized controlled trial compared turning-point and expressive writing for emerging adults' health and well-being. Undergraduates (N = 253; 18-25 years; 65.2% New Zealand European) were randomly assigned to a turning-point writing, expressive writing, or control writing condition. In each condition, participants wrote over three consecutive days; they completed health and well-being measures at baseline and 6 weeks later. No intervention effects emerged for physical symptoms, anxiety, stress, life satisfaction, or thriving. Turning-point participants wrote more positive narratives with stronger causal coherence, agency, and communion themes; they subsequently reported higher posttraumatic growth relative to expressive writing (d = .45) and control (d = 2.81) and lower depression symptoms relative to control (dz = −.36). Causal coherence mediated self-esteem improvements in turning-point participants; communion mediated reduced doctor visits for expressive writing and depression for turning-point participants; pronouns mediated intervention effects on self-esteem. Writing intervention prompts and subsequent narrative themes and linguistic features are important in improving health and well-being.
General Audience Summary: This study examined how different types of personal writing can impact young adults' health and well-being. Participants (253 undergraduates) were asked to write about their life experiences over 3 days. After initial health assessments, they were randomly assigned to one of three writing tasks: writing about a life-changing event (turning-point writing), writing about an emotionally significant experience (expressive writing), or writing about everyday activities (control group). The aim was to determine which writing strategies would most improve mental health and well-being over time. The study found that participants who wrote about a turning point in their lives experienced more improvements in health and well-being than the expressive writing group; both these groups reported greater improvements than the control group. Specifically, they reported higher levels of posttraumatic growth right after writing, meaning they felt they had grown personally from the challenges they faced and their writing about those challenges. Six weeks later, those in the turning-point writing group reported reduced depressive symptoms. The research showed that writing about meaningful relationships helped reduce depression, while reflecting on how an event changed them boosted self-esteem, particularly for those writing about turning points. Additionally, writing about meaningful relationships led to fewer doctor visits for illness 6 weeks later, especially among the expressive writing group. This study highlights the potential benefits of writing about personal experiences, suggesting that focusing on significant life events, such as turning points, may be especially effective in enhancing mental health and self-esteem.