Stress, PsychologicalNCT06238141
Expressive Writing on Stress-Related and Work-Related Outcomes Among Chinese Nursing Interns
A study testing Expressive writing and Neutral writing in people with Stress, Psychological, run by Changzhi Medical College at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
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… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Stress, Psychological
- What is being tested?
- Expressive writing and Neutral writing
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 52 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 15 Jul 2024to 13 Oct 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 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.
Who cannot join
- 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.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Effects of Expressive Writing on Stress-Related and Work-Related Outcomes Among Chinese Nursing Interns: a Randomized Controlled Trial
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?
Read more
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.
- Conditions
- Stress, Psychological
- Being tested
- Expressive writing, Neutral writing
- Medical subject headings
- Stress, Psychological
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Expressive writingOther
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 writingOther
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.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| intervention group | Experimental | Not described Receives: Other: Expressive writing |
| control group | Sham comparator | Not described Receives: Other: Neutral writing |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
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
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.
Measured: At baseline, post-intervention at Week 9, 11-week and 13-week follow-ups.
Secondary outcomes (3)
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
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.
Measured: At baseline, post-intervention at Week 9, 11-week and 13-week follow-ups.
Mean Change from Baseline in Work Engagement Scores on the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale at 9 Weeks, 11 Weeks and 13 Weeks
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.
Measured: At baseline, post-intervention at Week 9, 11-week and 13-week follow-ups.
Mean Change from Baseline in Perceived Professional Benefits Scores on the Perceived Professional Benefits Scale at 9 Weeks, 11 Weeks and 13 Weeks
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.
Measured: At baseline, post-intervention at Week 9, 11-week and 13-week follow-ups.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Feb 2024
- Study start15 Jul 2024
- Primary completion13 Oct 2024
- Study completion13 Oct 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Stress, PsychologicalStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 52 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Changzhi Medical College
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, JI XUAN, Changzhi Medical College
- Investigators
- XUAN JI, Principal investigator, Changzhi Medical College
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06238141
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- RT2023047
- Status last verified
- Sep 2025
- First submitted
- 24 Jan 2024
- Last updated
- 8 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Individual deidentified participant data underlying the results reported in this article, including demographic information and outcome measures, will be shared.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 8 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effects of Expressive Writing on Stress-Related and Work-Related Outcomes Among Chinese Nursing Interns: a Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06238141
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- RT2023047
- Conditions
- Stress, Psychological
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 52 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Changzhi Medical CollegeUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 15 Jul 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 13 Oct 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 13 Oct 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 2 Feb 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| intervention group | Experimental | Other: Expressive writing |
| control group | Sham comparator | Other: Neutral writing |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- 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.
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Refuse to participate.
- Have severe psychiatric conditions.
- Undergoing any form of psychotherapy.
- With a habit of keeping diaries.
- Termination of internship for whatever reason.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Expressive writingAccording 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). | Other | intervention group |
| Neutral writingAccording 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. | Other | control group |
Primary outcome
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.
3 secondary outcomes
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.
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.
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.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 8 Jul 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Individual deidentified participant data underlying the results reported in this article, including demographic information and outcome measures, will be shared.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
XUAN JI principal investigator
Changzhi Medical College
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Expressive writing and Neutral writing in people with Stress, Psychological, run by Changzhi Medical College at 1 site in China.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in China. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
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.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 8 Jul 2026.