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Reflections

Implementing an Expressive Writing Study in a Cancer Clinic

Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University and Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA

Key Words. Expressive writing • Cancer clinic • Emotional disclosure • Feasibility • Leukemia • Lymphoma

Correspondence: Nancy Morgan, M.A., Arts and Humanities Program, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, 3800 Reservoir Road NW, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20007, USA. Telephone: 202-444-7228; Fax: 202-444-7889; e-mail: npm2{at}georgetown.edu

Disclosure: No potential conflicts of interest were reported by the authors, planners, reviewers, or staff managers of this article.

Patients at a comprehensive cancer center have participated in a weekly writing program for 7 years. Anecdotal evidence following writing in this clinical setting appeared congruent with the results of expressive writing studies conducted in laboratory settings. To move expressive writing research beyond the laboratory, we evaluated the feasibility of engaging a clinical population in a structured expressive writing task while they waited for an appointment in a cancer clinic. Adult leukemia and lymphoma patients (n = 71) completed a baseline assessment, 20-minute writing task, postwriting assessment, and 3-week follow-up; 88% completed the writing task and 56% completed the follow-up. Participants reported positive responses to the writing, and immediately postwriting about half (49.1%) reported that writing resulted in changes in their thoughts about their illness, while 53.8% reported changes in their thoughts at the 3-week follow-up. Reports of changes in thoughts about illness immediately postwriting were significantly associated with better physical quality of life at follow-up, controlling for baseline quality of life. Initial qualitative analyses of the texts identified themes related to experiences of positive change/transformation following a cancer diagnosis. Findings support the feasibility of conducting expressive writing with a clinical population in a nonlaboratory setting. Cancer patients were receptive to expressive writing and reported changes in the way they thought about their illness following writing. These preliminary findings indicate that a single, brief writing exercise is related to cancer patients' reports of improved quality of life.

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