Emotional expression and psychological symptoms: A comparison of writing and drawing

The psychological effects of writing versus drawing about a stressful experience were compared. Participants were randomly assigned either into a control group (n = 34), a journaling group (n = 29), or a drawing group (n = 29). A measure of psychological symptoms was completed before and after two 15-min sessions. The results indicated that participants in the journaling group had a significantly greater decrease in their psychological symptoms than those in the drawing group or the control group. Journaling was also found to have a more positive effect for participants who initially had higher levels of psychological distress.