Att skriva om händelse, tanke och känsla: en explorativ studie kring effekter av expressivt skrivande i skolmiljö på ungdomars emotionsreglering

Sammanfattning: As part of the project Self esteem and Life circumstances among teenagers (started by Johnsson, Lundh & Wångby at Lund University in 2006) results from pilot studies of expressive writing (intervention initially created by Pennebaker and Beall, 1986) among adolescents in six secondary school classes in Sweden were investigated. The study describes changes from pre-test to follow-up on adapted versions of Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and Emotional Tone Index. Different strategies for emotion regulation are focused: voluntary and involuntary engagement and voluntary disengagement (Connor-Smith, Compas, Wadsworth, Harding Thomsen & Saltzman, 2000). The study is explorative. Results show a tendency towards more frequent diary use at follow-up for participants in expressive writing. No other indications of effect on emotion regulation or emotion in close relationships are found. The results are discussed in relation to literature on distinct forms of self-focus and their effect on mental health.