A randomised controlled trial on brief expressive writing as an intervention tool on exposure to thin-ideal images

The efficacy of expressive writing (EW) has been well established on Western population. However, to date, there are limited studies that examined its efficacy on a different population. This study investigated the efficacy of EW, as a one-off task, in improving the levels of body satisfaction and positive affect among 140 Filipino female university students aged 1825. They were tested in groups and wrote either about life goals (n = 46), positive experiences (n = 49) or a control topic (n = 46). Results have demonstrated that EW has no significant effect on body satisfaction and positive affect. Future studies may consider other boundary conditions along with other variables for moderating effects