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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06238141

Expressive Writing on Stress-Related and Work-Related Outcomes Among Chinese Nursing Interns

The goal of this interventional study is to assess the effects of an intervention on stress-related and work-related outcomes among Chinese nursing interns. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does expressive writing reduce clinical practice stress and improve coping strategies in nursing interns? * Does expressive writing increase work engagement and perceived professional benefit among nursing interns?

Participants in the intervention group and control group will perform expressive writing and neutral writing, respectively, based on different given instructions. In both groups, writing will last for 10-15 minutes each time, twice a week, for nine weeks.

Researchers will compare the outcomes of the two groups to see if there are differences between clinical practice stress, coping strategies, work engagement, and perceived professional benefit.

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Key information

Conditions

Stress, Psychological Behavior Behavioral Symptoms

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Changzhi Medical College

Changzhi, Shanxi, China

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Undergraduate nursing interns with no prior clinical practice experience.
  • Be willing to fill in questionnaires and write according to the assigned writing prompts.
  • Have never participated in writing therapy or stress management intervention programs.

Exclusion criteria

  • Refuse to participate.
  • Have severe psychiatric conditions.
  • Undergoing any form of psychotherapy.
  • With a habit of keeping diaries.

Withdrawal criteria:

  • Termination of internship for whatever reason.
  • Do not submit writing materials twice.

Treatment and study plan

expressive writing

Other

According to the writing prompts, online expressive writing focuses on stressful events and will be conducted twice a week (every Monday and Thursday) for 10-15 minutes each time, lasting for nine weeks.

Writing prompts are developed based on Emotional Processing Theory (EPT) and Cognitive Adaptation Theory (CAT).

Neutral Writing

Other

According to the writing prompts, online neutral writing focuses on immediate surroundings and will be conducted twice a week (every Monday and Thursday) for 10-15 minutes each time, lasting for nine weeks.

Primary outcomes

  1. Mean Change from Baseline in Clinical Practice Stress Scores on the Stress Rating Scale for Nursing Interns in Practice at 9 Weeks, 11 Weeks and 13 Weeks

    Time frame: At baseline, post-intervention at Week 9, 11-week and 13-week follow-ups.

    The scale consists of 6 dimensions and 37 entries, including the nature of work, workload, preparation for an internship, interpersonal relationships, work support, and learning and work impulse. The scale rates on a 4-point Likert scale, with no stress, mild stress, moderate stress, and severe stress, assigned a score of 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively, and the higher the score, the greater the stress.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Mean Change from Baseline in Positive and Negative Coping Style Scores on the Brief Coping Style Scale at 9 Weeks, 11 Weeks and 13 Weeks

    Time frame: At baseline, post-intervention at Week 9, 11-week and 13-week follow-ups.

    The scale consists of two dimensions, positive and negative coping, with 20 entries. A 4-point Likert scale is used, with 1-4 indicating "not used" to "often used". Positive coping has 12 entries, and negative coping has 8 entries, with higher scores indicating more frequent use of coping strategies.

  2. Mean Change from Baseline in Work Engagement Scores on the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale at 9 Weeks, 11 Weeks and 13 Weeks

    Time frame: At baseline, post-intervention at Week 9, 11-week and 13-week follow-ups.

    The scale consists of 3 dimensions: vitality, dedication, and concentration, comprising 15 entries. A 7-point Likert scale is used, with scores ranging from 0-6 for "never," "almost never," "rarely," "sometimes," "often," "frequently," and "always." The total score is the sum of the scores of each entry. An average entry score of 4 or more is defined as a high level of work engagement, 2-4 as a moderate level, and less than 2 as a low level of work engagement.

  3. Mean Change from Baseline in Perceived Professional Benefits Scores on the Perceived Professional Benefits Scale at 9 Weeks, 11 Weeks and 13 Weeks

    Time frame: At baseline, post-intervention at Week 9, 11-week and 13-week follow-ups.

    The 17-item scale covers 5 dimensions: positive occupational perception, strong nurse-patient relationships, recognition from family and friends, team belonging, and self-growth. Each item is scored 1 to 5 on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree". The higher the score, the stronger the perceived professional benefit.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Changzhi Medical College

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effects of Expressive Writing on Stress-Related and Work-Related Outcomes Among Chinese Nursing Interns: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Feb 2, 2024
Registry last updated
Jul 8, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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