The Effects of Written Emotional Disclosure to Subjective Distress and Mood on Individuals Experiencing Heartbreak

DOI

10.2991/uipsur-17.2018.32How to use a DOI?

Keywords

emotional inhibition, expressive writing, heartbreak, mood, subjective distress, written emotional disclosure

Abstract

Emotional distress caused by heartbreak can lead one to negative effects such as an increase of physical illness risks and stress-related diseases. Confiding in others about upsetting experiences such as heartbreak can be one of many ways to help one feel better, but not all are comfortable in sharing personal stories and not all heartbreak stories can be discussed easily. This research is conducted to examine the effects of written emotional disclosure (WED) to subjective distress and mood on individuals experiencing heartbreak. 15 male and 28 female undergraduates were randomly assigned to an experimental group to write expressively about their heartbreak, or to a control group to write about control topics. Subjective distress and mood were assessed using the adapted Impact of Event Scale and The Profile of Mood States-Revised. Using independent sample t-test and mixed ANOVA, research findings indicated significant mood improvement from the first to last day of writing session F (1,6 , 65,8)= 10,98, p< 0,001, but not a significant difference in subjective distress and mood between the two groups F(1,41) < 1, r= 0,044. The result suggested several considerations for future research with further explorations of the WED’s benefits and mechanism, especially on individuals experiencing heartbreak.

Copyright

© 2018, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.

Open Access

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Sri Izzati
AU  - Bagus Takwin
PY  - 2018/07
DA  - 2018/07
TI  - The Effects of Written Emotional Disclosure to Subjective Distress and Mood on Individuals Experiencing Heartbreak
BT  - Proceedings of the Universitas Indonesia International Psychology Symposium for Undergraduate Research (UIPSUR 2017)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 217
EP  - 223
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/uipsur-17.2018.32
DO  - 10.2991/uipsur-17.2018.32
ID  - Izzati2018/07
ER  -