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Abstract
Substantial research has identified the negative health outcomes associated with bullying for adolescent victims. Researchers have examined expressive writing as a possible method by which to decrease violence among adolescents. Results of these studies, however, suggest that expressive writing is associated with positive, negative, and neutral outcomes for adolescents. The present study had two aims related to these mixed findings. First, it sought to investigate the association between micro- and macro-level message processes that relate with self-regulation in adolescent writings about bullying and their reports of bullying behavior. Second, it examined whether executive function processes may play a role in explaining the inconsistent results for expressive writing among adolescents. Results identify several message processes that are linked with reports of bullying behavior directly as well as indirectly through the pathway of executive function. Implications for expressive writing interventions aimed at reducing bullying are discussed, particularly with respect to the importance of screening for executive function.
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Author biographies
John P. Crowley is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Colorado State University. His research examines the intersection between interpersonal and health communication with a concentration in two primary areas of study: emotion and social networks. His work has focused predominately on investigating ways to promote positive health outcomes for recipients of interpersonal transgressions.
Jacquelyn A. Harvey-Knowles is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Her research interests reside in assessing how various forms of communication are associated with, and influenced by, aspects of individuals' physical, psychological, and emotional well-being.
Nathaniel R. Riggs is an Associate Professor in the department of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University. His primary basic research interests are in the development of executive function from childhood to adolescence. He also translates basic research in neuro-cognitive development to the design and implementation of preventive interventions across multiple child and adolescent developmental domains.
