Whys and What Ifs Writing and Anxiety Reduction in Individuals Bereaved by Addictio (1).pdf (674.49 kB)
Download fileWhys and What Ifs: Writing and Anxiety Reduction in Individuals Bereaved by Addiction
Research has shown that writing can help reduce anxiety in individuals
who have experienced trauma or complicated grief. This small case
study asked if writing could also reduce anxiety in those bereaved by
addiction. For this study, thirteen individuals who experienced
increased anxiety as a result of bereavement by addiction completed
two semi-structured interviews and responded to ten writing prompts
over four weeks. Thematic analysis was used to analyze interview
transcripts and narrative analysis was used to analyze participants’
writing. Findings from this study suggest that writing decreased anxiety for six participants by helping them to identify intrusive ruminations and by demonstrating the progress they had made since the
death of their loved one. However, more research is needed to understand why writing reduced anxiety for only half of these participants
and to understand how writing might be more effectively used as
a therapeutic intervention for individuals bereaved by addiction.
History
Published in
Journal of Creativity in Mental HealthPublisher
Taylor & FrancisAcceptance Date
2021-04-12Publication Date
2021-05-13Version
- VoR (Version of Record)
Citation
Thatcher, C. (2021) 'Whys and What Ifs: Writing and Anxiety Reduction in Individuals Bereaved by Addiction', Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, pp.1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2021.1924097Print ISSN
1540-1383Electronic ISSN
1540-1391Cardiff Met Affiliation
- Cardiff School of Education and Social Policy
Cardiff Met Authors
Christina ThatcherCopyright Holder
- © The Authors
Language
- en