Abstract
This study implemented and evaluated the effectiveness of an expressive writing intervention among patients with Stargardt's disease, a rare disease due to macular degeneration. Participants were randomly assigned to either an expressive writing intervention or a neutral writing condition. Participants completed measures at three time points: baseline, 3 weeks, and 6 weeks post-intervention. Psychological health outcomes improved at the 3-week follow-up for the intervention condition compared to control. Self-reported physical health improved at the 6-week follow-up in the intervention condition compared to control. These results suggest that expressive writing may be an effective, practical, and low-cost intervention for those with Stargardt's disease.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 709-719 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Journal of Health Psychology |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2016 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- cost-effectiveness
- disability
- distress
- intervention
- physical symptoms
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Applied Psychology