Age differences and cognitive processing in the expressive writing paradigm

Quality of life issues due to psychological distress and ongoing health problems are major concerns for many of the 11.7 million cancer survivors in the United States. Research shows that emotionally expressive writing (EW) that focuses on the trauma associated with cancer results in mental and physical health benefits. Thus, EW holds promise for being a cost-effective, low-burden intervention for cancer survivors. Evidence suggests that cognitive processing is a main mechanism through which EW produces benefits. However, as people age their cognitive processing changes. Older cancer patients have been shown to have both better coping skills and utilization of social support that influences how they process trauma. Yet, few studies have examined effects of age on cognitive processing in EW. Consequently, this study examined whether linguistic indicators of cognitive processing differed by age in a sample of 165 hematopoietic stem cell transplant survivors. Participants ranged in age from 19-79 (M=53, SD=12.5). Participants completed four EW sessions, writing about their experiences before, during, and after transplant. LIWC (text analysis software) was used to analyze the percentage of cognitive word use (an indicator of cognitive processing) in their writing. Older age correlated with using significantly fewer cognitive processing words, r=-.228 (p=.009). Because cognitive processing is associated with reduced psychological distress and better health outcomes, the results from this study indicate a need to study whether older people benefit less than younger people from EW and/or whether there are unique mechanisms through which EW benefits older adults.