A randomised controlled trial designed to test whether an online expressive writing intervention (LIO-C) can reduce distress for English-speaking adults during the global COVID19 pandemic. Hypothesis: LIO-C will improve distress (as measured by K10) in adults at 1 week post-intervention compared to a neutral writing control during the COVID19 pandemic.
The world is currently experiencing unprecedented challenges caused by the global coronavirus
(COVID19) pandemic. Many countries are enforcing measures to restrict movement of people to
reduce the spread of the outbreak, including lock-downs, social distancing and
self-isolation. These methods, although necessary to slow the spread of disease, will have
negative effects on psychological well-being of large populations. Shortage of health care
professionals and measures to restrict interpersonal contact means facilitated psychological
interventions will not be feasible for many, at least during the height of the pandemic.
There is therefore a need for self-directed psychological interventions that can be
practically and quickly implemented online.
Emotional disclosure-based therapies, such as expressive writing (EW), hold potential as
low-cost, easy to implement means of support, with minimal requirement for facilitation. In
its original format, EW involved writing daily for 15-20 minutes for 3-4 days about a
traumatic event. Since its development, it has been adapted in many ways, including writing
about positive events and writing about stress from a compassionate stance. There is evidence
that such interventions can provide significant psychological and physical benefits in
healthy populations and reduce the effects of natural disasters on health and well-being.
However, to our knowledge this form of psychological intervention has not been tested during
a rapidly evolving crisis or pandemic.
The aim of this study is to test whether an online self-compassion and EW based intervention
(LIO-C) can reduce the negative effects of the COVID19 pandemic on health and well-being. The
intervention is based on an existing intervention, LIO, that we previously developed for use
in advanced disease populations, in collaboration with clinical and health psychologists, and
patient and public representatives. For this study, we have adapted the intervention for
people living through the current COVID19 pandemic by altering the writing prompts, and
translating the intervention to an online hub. As this is an unfacilitated intervention, the
instructions involve writing from a compassionate stance to minimise any potential short term
negative effects associated with writing about difficult experiences.
Other: Let It Out (LIO)-C
Participants complete three online 20-minute writing sessions in response to prompts asking them to write about their experiences during the COVID19 pandemic from a self-compassionate perspective
Other Name: Array
Other: Neutral writing control
Participants complete three online 20-minute writing sessions in response to neutral writing prompts
Inclusion Criteria:
- English speaking adults over the age of 18
- Able to read and write clearly in English
Exclusion Criteria:
- None
University College London
London, Kent, United Kingdom
Nuriye Kupeli, Principal Investigator
Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, UCL