TY - JOUR
T1 - Emotional Disclosure Through Writing or Speaking Modulates Latent Epstein-Barr Virus Antibody Titers
AU - Esterling, Brian A.
AU - Antoni, Michael H.
AU - Fletcher, Mary Ann
AU - Margulies, Scott
AU - Schneiderman, Neil
PY - 1994/2
Y1 - 1994/2
N2 - Healthy Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) seropositive undergraduates (N = 57) completed a personality inventory, provided blood samples, and were randomly assigned to write or talk about stressful events, or to write about trivial events, during three weekly 20-min sessions, after which they provided a final blood sample. Individuals assigned to the verbal/stressful condition had significantly lower EBV antibody titers (suggesting better cellular immune control over the latent virus) after the intervention than those in the written/stressful group, who had significantly lower values than those in the written/trivial control group. Subjects assigned to the written/stressful condition expressed more negative emotional words than the verbal/stressful and control groups and more positive emotional words than the verbal/stressful group at each time point. The verbal/stressful group expressed more negative emotional words compared with the control group at baseline. Content analysis indicated that the verbal/stressful group achieved the greatest improvements in cognitive change, self-esteem, and adaptive coping strategies.
AB - Healthy Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) seropositive undergraduates (N = 57) completed a personality inventory, provided blood samples, and were randomly assigned to write or talk about stressful events, or to write about trivial events, during three weekly 20-min sessions, after which they provided a final blood sample. Individuals assigned to the verbal/stressful condition had significantly lower EBV antibody titers (suggesting better cellular immune control over the latent virus) after the intervention than those in the written/stressful group, who had significantly lower values than those in the written/trivial control group. Subjects assigned to the written/stressful condition expressed more negative emotional words than the verbal/stressful and control groups and more positive emotional words than the verbal/stressful group at each time point. The verbal/stressful group expressed more negative emotional words compared with the control group at baseline. Content analysis indicated that the verbal/stressful group achieved the greatest improvements in cognitive change, self-esteem, and adaptive coping strategies.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0027958099&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0027958099&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/0022-006X.62.1.130
DO - 10.1037/0022-006X.62.1.130
M3 - Article
C2 - 8034815
AN - SCOPUS:0027958099
VL - 62
SP - 130
EP - 140
JO - Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
JF - Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
SN - 0022-006X
IS - 1
ER -