Grounded in narrative therapy, this study developed and empirically validated a psychological mechanism model linking tourism experience, emotional arousal, self-identity, and affective symptom relief. Utilizing a two-phase design, Study 1 employed quantitative path analysis and identified a sequential mediation effect: emotional arousal and self-identity jointly mediated the impact of tourism experiences on affective symptoms. Furthermore, perceived social support and self-efficacy significantly moderate the pathway from emotional arousal to identity transformation. Study 2 introduced a structured reflective writing task to qualitatively examine mechanisms, including emotional externalization, identity reconstruction, and meaning making within travel narratives. Findings suggest that everyday travel contexts can naturally activate positive emotional states, foster self-integration, and alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. By proposing a “travel-emotion-identity-health” psychological mechanism pathway, this research extends the theoretical boundaries and practical applications of travel narratives in emotional support and mental health interventions.
Wang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.