Health Benefits of Expressive Writing Among Chinese Breast Cancer Survivors

The study examines the potential health benefits (i.e., physical health, psychological
health, and quality of life) of this expressive writing intervention for Chinese-speaking
breast cancer survivors. The study also explores the mechanism through which expressive
writing confers health benefits and investigates who will benefit most from the expressive
writing intervention. Chinese-speaking breast cancer survivors who have completed primary
treatment will be randomly assigned to a control writing condition, a self-regulation
condition, or a enhanced self-regulation writing condition. Health outcomes are assessed at
baseline, and 1, 3, and 6 months follow-ups. Mixed qualitative-quantitative mixed methods are
used to explore the effect of the intervention on health outcomes and explore the mechanisms
that explain the benefits of this intervention.

Inclusion Criteria:

1) having a breast cancer diagnosis; 2) completing breast cancer surgery within five years;
and 3) being comfortable writing and speaking Chinese (i.e. Mandarin or Cantonese)