Effectiveness of Best Possible Self and Gratitude Writing Intervention on Mental Health Among Parents of Troubled Children

摘要

The current study was conducted to determine if journaling focused on best possible self and gratitude could improve physiological and mental health outcomes in a sample of affected parents who have teenagers or adult children with emotional and/or behavioral problems. A quasi-experimental, pretest/ posttest design was used with blood pressure measure and saliva collection at baseline, after a first journal entry, and after a 6-week journaling intervention. Among 42 parents who completed the pretest, 37 (88.1%) completed the 6-week guided journal and posttest. Findings of paired t tests indicated a statistically significant decrease in stress level (p < 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.001), somatic symptoms (p = 0.001), and depression (p = 0.01), as well as increased gratitude (p = 0.012) among participants. Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated the journaling intervention showed a statistically significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (p = 0.016), but not diastolic blood pressure, or cortisol level at the three testing times.