Effectiveness of the expressive writing on the psychological distress and traumatic symptoms of the migrants: A prospective study multiarm randomized controlled trial

Clinical Impact Statement The present study observed that the application of an expressive writing treatment with migrants was an effective, fast, and low-cost method in reducing levels of psychological distress. The efficacy of this treatment tool may be a function of migrants' levels of hope for the future. This expressive writing prevention and intervention may be included in standard protocols used with the migrants to aid in their psychological well-being.Objective: Migration is a phenomenon related to adverse impacts, including higher risk for psychological distress and trauma symptoms, highlighting the strong need for effective psychological treatments to help migrants. However, the use of expressive writing intervention (EW) has not been examined in this population. The aims of the study were to evaluate: (a) the effectiveness of a trauma-focused EW on psychological distress, trauma symptoms, alexithymia, and hope for the future in migrants, and (b) the role of alexithymia and hope for the future in the association with the EW and the psychological symptoms. Method: Twenty-eight migrants were enrolled in a multiarm double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) that included three groups: (a) trauma-focused EW, (b) neutral EW, and (c) control. Participants completed self-report measures at pretreatment, immediately after the intervention, and at 1 month follow-up. The study complied with the guidelines of Consolidate Standard of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist and was retrospectively recorded on ClinicalTrials.gov. Results: Trauma-focused EW was related to an immediate improvement in phobic anxiety and positive total symptoms and improvement in somatization, global severity index, and hope for the future at follow-up. Trauma symptoms and alexithymia did not show significant effects. Factorial regressions showed that the interaction group per time per hope for the future was a significant predictor on the phobic anxiety. Discussion: EW may be an effective tool for reducing migrant's distress and may have long-term improvements in mental health. Moreover, the results suggest the potential influence of the hope for the future on anxiety in migrants.