Correlates and Predictors of Emotion Language and Well-Being in Stressful and Traumatic Contexts.

Abstract

In three studies, I examined associations between emotional expression (through language) and well-being as people reflected on stressful and life-changing situations. Previous research suggests that emotional expression is only helpful for some people, and the primary goal of the current research was to contribute to literature that examines when and under what circumstances expression of emotion is related to positive outcomes for individuals.

The Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count Program (LIWC; Pennebaker, Booth, Boyd, & Francis, 2015) was used in each study to text analyze participants’ narratives about experiences of childhood sexual abuse (Study 1), bereavement (Study 2), and the transition to parenthood (Study 3). I focused on the two broad LIWC word categories associated with emotionality: positive emotion (e.g., happy, laugh) and negative emotion (e.g., sad, angry).

Study 1 examined associations between indicators of mental health and positive and negative emotion words in the trauma narratives of 55 survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Participants who used more positive and negative emotion language had better psychological outcomes, especially when the abuse was more severe.

Study 2 investigated expressions of positive emotion words in discussions between 39 parentally bereaved children and their surviving caregivers. Children’s use of positive emotion words in the discussion were unrelated to their own psychological outcomes; however, children were less likely to experience symptoms of anxiety, avoidant coping, and depression when their caregivers used more positive emotion words, especially after more time had passed since parental loss.

Study 3 tested dyadic and longitudinal associations between emotional expression and psychological and relational well-being in a sample of 29 expectant couples across the transition to parenthood. Changes (increases) in emotional expression over time were more consistently associated with husbands’ and wives’ postpartum outcomes compared with average levels of emotional expression. Results from Study 3 also demonstrated that emotional expression and health are tied in meaningful ways between romantic partners.

Overall, results from the current research point to individual and contextual factors that moderate the association between emotional expression and well-being. These findings have implications for tailored interventions that promote optimal outcomes when people discuss and reflect on emotional content.