Expressive Writing as a practice against Work Stress: A randomized controlled trial with preselection

This study investigates the impact of expressive writing on work stress, employing a 2 x 3 x 2 factorial design. Participants, pre-selected for high stress levels, were randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group and assessed at three different time points, with sex considered as the third factor. The aim was to evaluate the effects of expressive writing on work stress, work engagement, job demands, job resources, and personal resources, and to determine if the Job Demand-Resource (JD-R) model effectively explains the influence of expressive writing on work stress. Contrary to expectations, expressive writing did not reduce work stress but increased it, especially for women. However, it increased work engagement in men and reduced perceived job insecurity in women. These results suggest the need for targeted use of expressive writing and indicate a possible zigzag pattern of emotional response. The results could not be confirmed based on the JD-R model, indicating either insufficient operationalization or lack of alignment with the theorical model.