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Emotional expressive writing to alleviate euthanasia-related stress.

Year: 2010
Type: article
Abstract: Euthanasia-related stress is a workplace hazard for animal shelter workers. A simple but powerful stress reduction technique is outlined and results from a small demonstration sample of 5 animal shelter workers are discussed. Based on the literature and these preliminary findings, some conclusions are presented for implementing the technique. Animal shelter workers who conduct euthanasia are under a particular and increasing type of stress that may lead to significant health problems (1) and high job turnover (2). Indeed, a recent study reported higher suicide rates among Australian veterinarians than amongst the general population (3). Furthermore, high stress in those carrying out euthanasia may have detrimental effects on the animal’s welfare. It is imperative, therefore, that stress management be considered. Traditional stress management programs, however, are cost- and time-intensive. Expressive writing is a stress management technique that appears particularly well-suited to employees who have euthanasia responsibilities. Illustrative case study data are presented from 5 shelter workers and veterinarians who have used this technique. Since 1986, over 200 articles have been published on expressive writing (4). The essence of the technique is that participants spend a period of time (usually between 10 to 20 min) writing about a stressful topic. This is repeated over a number of days. While researchers were initially skeptical, work has repeatedly shown that expressive writing has strong effects including improvement in physical health symptoms (5), reduction in visits to a doctor (6), and increased immune functioning (7). Expressive writing also helps students to get better grades (8) and the unemployed to get jobs more quickly (9). Indeed, 2 meta-analyses have shown that disclosure has a significant effect on health outcomes (10,11) regardless of the age, ethnicity, or education level of the participants. Expressive writing aids in a cathartic “release” and a relaxation of the inhibiting processes (6). More importantly, it helps people to change the way they think about the traumatic event and to develop confidence from gaining control over their emotions (12). When people see that they are able to control their emotions through expressive writing, they become more confident in actually dealing with stressors (12). Finally, depth of analysis and positivity developed through the writing is linked to better outcomes (13). Guiding participants of expressive writing towards greater cognitive processing and greater positivity, therefore, would appear to be a powerful tool in alleviating stress. Expressive writing, unlike traditional stress management training, can be successfully implemented at low cost using minimal materials, without an external consultant (14). Moreover, this technique takes significantly less time for participants than traditional stress management (15 to 20 min per session compared with 1 or 2 h per session). Interestingly, one study (15) found that just two, 2-minute sessions of writing were enough to affect physical health symptoms 4 to 6 wk after the sessions. However, it is likely that this is a minimum condition that will provide some, but not the greatest possible effect. A meta-analysis (11) found that the effects were greatest when the expressive writing was conducted over at least 3 sessions and that the period of writing lasted at least 15 min. The length of each session and the number of sessions undertaken, therefore, could be determined by the workers themselves with potentially greater benefits ensuing from longer and more frequent sessions. Finally, including information on dysfunctional thinking patterns and positive self-leadership may help participants to gain insight and a positive orientation.
Source: PubMed
Language: English
Field: Psychology
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1563218814
FWCI: 0.351
Cites: 14
Cited by: 3
Related to: 10