Who does expressive writing work for? Examination of alexithymia, splitting, and repressive coping style as moderators of the expressive writing paradigm

OBJECTIVE: This paper examines the moderating influence of alexithymia, splitting, and repressive coping style in the expressive writing paradigm. METHOD: Eighty-eight university students randomized to four weekly 20-minute expressive or neutral writing sessions, with 1-month follow-up. RESULTS: Expressive writing was more beneficial for individuals scoring higher on alexithymia and splitting, but not repressive coping. CONCLUSIONS: Future research should include personality measures in explorations of expressive writing to further understand the boundary conditions of the expressive writing paradigm.