| Title |
Efficacy of Pennebaker’s expressive writing intervention in reducing psychiatric symptoms among patients with first-time cancer diagnosis: a randomized clinical trial
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Supportive Care in Cancer, August 2018
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00520-018-4438-0 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Luana La Marca, Erika Maniscalco, Francesco Fabbiano, Francesco Verderame, Adriano Schimmenti |
| Abstract |
The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to examine the efficacy of Pennebaker's expressive writing intervention (EWI) in improving the perceived quality of life (QoL) and in reducing psychiatric symptoms among patients who received a cancer diagnosis. Seventy-one consecutively recruited patients who received a cancer diagnosis for the first time in their life were randomized into two groups: an EWI group (EWG: n = 35) and a control group (CG n = 36). At the baseline, anamnestic information was collected for all patients, and the patients completed a series of self-reported measures assessing psychiatric symptoms, alexithymia, and health-related QoL. A modified Pennebaker's EWI adapted to cancer diagnosis was also administered to the EWG. Six months later, 32 patients (EWG: n = 17, CG: n = 15) participated in the follow-up and filled out the same questionnaires. The Pennebaker's EWI was effective in decreasing global psychopathology (d = -.55). Small but significant effects were also observed for alexithymia levels and health-related QoL, with the EWG showing a reduction in alexithymia levels (d = -.31) and an increase in the mental component of QoL (d = .31) compared to the CG. Our findings indicate that the Pennebaker's EWI is effective in reducing the negative impact of cancer diagnosis on patients' mental health. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 2 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 1 | 50% |
| Unknown | 1 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 1 | 50% |
| Scientists | 1 | 50% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 70 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 70 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Bachelor | 12 | 17% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 7 | 10% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 5 | 7% |
| Other | 4 | 6% |
| Researcher | 4 | 6% |
| Other | 20 | 29% |
| Unknown | 18 | 26% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing and Health Professions | 11 | 16% |
| Psychology | 10 | 14% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 8 | 11% |
| Unspecified | 3 | 4% |
| Arts and Humanities | 3 | 4% |
| Other | 11 | 16% |
| Unknown | 24 | 34% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 11. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 31 August 2018.
All research outputs
#2,866,098
of 23,102,082 outputs
Outputs from Supportive Care in Cancer
#570
of 4,655 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#60,177
of 335,220 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Supportive Care in Cancer
#26
of 106 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 23,102,082 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done well and is in the 87th percentile: it's in the top 25% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 4,655 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 5.7. This one has done well, scoring higher than 87% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 335,220 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done well, scoring higher than 81% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 106 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 74% of its contemporaries.