Table 2.
Written disclosure studies
| Author | Year | Sample | Sample size | # Sessions/mins treatment |
PTSD outcome measure |
% Dropout | Mean (SD) | Effect size (Hedge’s g) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Post/follow-up | Within | Between | |||||||
| Bragdon and Lombardo |
2012 | Full or sub- threshold PTSD |
N = 68 | 4 sessions of 30 min | MPSS | WD = 27 % | WD = 74.1 (21.3) | WD = 38.8 (24.4) | 1.56a | N/A |
| Gidron et al. | 1996 | Probable PTSD | N = 14 WD = 8 Control writing group = 6 |
Write for 20 min for 3 consecutive days |
IES | WD = 0% Control writing group = 0% |
WD = 40.0 (5.5) Control writing group = 39.7 (18.3) |
WD = 40.9 (16.1) Control writing group = 27.3 (21.6) |
.07 .62 |
.68 |
| Possemato et al. |
2011 | Full or sub- threshold PTSD |
N = 31 WED n = 15 Control writing group n = 16 |
3 sessions of 20 min | PCL-M | WED = 0% Control writing group = 31 % |
WED = 45.71 (13.15) Control writing group = 49.00 (15.33) |
WED = 44.64 (11.87) Control writing group = 44.42 (13.67) |
.08 .33 |
.02 |
| Sloan et al. | 2013 | Full PTSD | N = 7 | 5 sessions of 60 min | CAPS | WD = 14 % | WD = 63.42 (19.14) | WD = 42 (20.49) | 1.08 | N/A |
| Sloan et al. | 2011a | Full PTSD | N = 47 WED n = 24 Control writing group n = 23 |
3 sessions of 20 min | PSS-I | WED = 4% Control writing group = 4% |
WED = 24.8 (5.5) Control writing group = 25.2 (5.2) |
WED = 16.0 (18.2) Control writing group = 15.0 (7.2) |
.66 1.62 |
.07 |
| Sloan et al. | 2012 | Full PTSD | N = 46 WET n = 22 WL n = 24 |
5 sessions of 40–60 min |
CAPS | WET = 9% WL = 0% |
WET = 62.91 (16.51) WL = 70.63 (18.52) |
WET = 19.18 (11.01) WL = 73.12 (18.35) |
3.12 .14 |
3.47 |
| Smyth et al. | 2008 | Full PTSD | N = 25 WED n = 15 Control writing group n = 10 |
3 sessions of 20 min | PSS-I | WED = 7% Control writing group = 0% |
WED = 13.33 (3.33) Control writing group = 12.60 (3.75) |
WED = 11.08 (4.39) Control writing group = 9.87 (6.22) |
.58 .53 |
.22 |
TAU treatment as usual, WD written disclosure, WED written emotional disclosure, WET written exposure therapy, WL waitlist, MPSS modified PTSD symptom scale, PDS posttraumatic diagnostic scale, PTDS posttraumatic diagnostic scale, PTSDTOT Davidson PTSD scale, PCL-M PTSD checklist-military, PTSDGI posttraumatic growth inventory, CAPS clinician administered PTSD scale, PSS-I PTSD symptom scale-interview
a
Effect size based on completer data because ITT was not reported