The ICU is a stressful and challenging place for patients and their families. Many family members experience anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder during and after their ICU experience. The investigators are studying post-traumatic growth in this study. Post-traumatic growth (PTG) is a set of positive changes that occurs after a challenging or difficult life experience. This study investigates the effects of expressive writing on positive changes that occur after a difficult experience. PTG will be compared between the intervention group receiving the expressive writing intervention and the control group (non-expressive or fact based writing).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
130
Brief expressive writing intervention
Brief fact-based writing exercise.
Intermountain Medical Center
Murray, Utah, United States
RECRUITINGPosttraumatic Growth Inventory
Time frame: 4 months
Hospital Depression and Anxiety Scale
Time frame: 4 months
Impact of Event Scale Revised (IES-R)
Time frame: 4 months
Perceived Stress Scale
Time frame: 4 months
Brief COPE
Time frame: 4 months
Physical Symptoms Scale
Time frame: 4 months
Groningen Activity Restriction Scale (GARS)
Time frame: 4 months
Activity Restriction Scale
Time frame: 4 months
Essay Evaluation Measure
The essay evaluation measure assesses if the writing sample (essay) was personal, meaningful and reveals emotions. This measure has 3 items that are scored 0 to 6 for a total score of 0 to 18.
Time frame: 4 months
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