| 摘要: | 研究期間：10110~10209;Previous research has found an inverse association between exposure to emotional trauma and well-being. More recently, studies on written emotional expression found that repeated expression of a traumatic experience is beneficial to physical health. However, possible mechanisms through which written emotional expression may work to influence health are still under investigation. Recent research on psychological stress has also found associations among religion, meaning, and health. This study proposes to test a model of meaning construction, religion, and reactions to severe stressors. The model postulates that after exposure to severe stressors, religion affects health through adaptive cognitive processes that facilitate meaning construction. Participants will be assigned randomly to one of three experimental conditions: A trauma condition, a trauma-religion condition, or a control condition. Three writing sessions will be conducted within a 7-day period. Outcome variables would be measured at baseline and 1-month follow-up, and include physical symptoms, posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms. Other variables of interest would also be assessed along with outcome variables, at the same time periods. Pilot studies have been conducted in a similar healthy population in the US and published in peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research, International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine). Preliminary results have been promising in support of the afermentioned model of stress adaptation. One purpose of the proposed study is to test this paradigm and model in a Taiwanese population. The construct of religion would be framed in the context of spirituality and a belief system, such as one’s view or philosophy of life. Given the significant changes in the global climate, economy, international, and social relations, individuals who may be exposed to traumatic stress include victims of natural disasters and economic downturn, the medically ill, military combatants, abused women and children, and witnesses and victims of terrorism and violent crimes. Results from the current study may help inform the process of stress adaptation and utilization of important psychological resources such as religion, spirituality, and a belief system. |
