Expressive writing and acceptance and commitment therapy for stress and anxiety

The impact of expressive writing versus acceptance and commitment therapy on inflammatory biomarkers, cognitive functioning, and psychological well-being in high-school students with moderate-to-severe stress or anxiety

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

IRCT

Registry ID

IRCT20240910063001N2

Enrollment

Registered

2024-10-05

Start date

2024-10-22

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2025-01-08

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Condition 1: Stress, not elsewhere classified. Condition 2: Anxiety disorder, unspecified. Physical and mental strain NOS Anxiety NOS

Interventions

Intervention 1: Intervention group (EW): a course of expressive writing therapy, comprising three consecutive days of therapy per week, with each session lasting 15 minutes, over a period of six weeks

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

15 Years to 20 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Be between the ages of 15 and 20 A stress score of more than 18 or an anxiety score of more than 9 in the psychological interview based on the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-42 Informed consent of the patient and legal guardian for participation

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: History of significant psychiatric, neurological, or endocrine disorders Prior engagement in psychotherapy Current pharmacological treatment with psychotropic medications or steroids Lack of compliance, defined as failure to participate in more than two follow-up sessions

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Serum cortisol. Timepoint: Before the start of the intervention and one week after its end (week 7). Method of measurement: Laboratory test.;Serum C-reactive protein. Timepoint: Before the start of the intervention and one week after its end (week 7). Method of measurement: Laboratory test.;Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. Timepoint: Before the start of the intervention and one week after its end (week 7). Method of measurement: Laboratory test.	—

Measure

Time frame

Serum cortisol. Timepoint: Before the start of the intervention and one week after its end (week 7). Method of measurement: Laboratory test.;Serum C-reactive protein. Timepoint: Before the start of the intervention and one week after its end (week 7). Method of measurement: Laboratory test.;Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. Timepoint: Before the start of the intervention and one week after its end (week 7). Method of measurement: Laboratory test.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Working memory and processing speed. Timepoint: Before the start of the intervention and one week after its end (week 7). Method of measurement: Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test.;Stress. Timepoint: Before the start of the intervention and one week after its end (week 7). Method of measurement: Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-42.;Anxiety. Timepoint: Before the start of the intervention and one week after its end (week 7). Method of measurement: Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-42.	—

Measure

Time frame

Working memory and processing speed. Timepoint: Before the start of the intervention and one week after its end (week 7). Method of measurement: Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test.;Stress. Timepoint: Before the start of the intervention and one week after its end (week 7). Method of measurement: Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-42.;Anxiety. Timepoint: Before the start of the intervention and one week after its end (week 7). Method of measurement: Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-42.

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Countries

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Contacts

Public ContactShima Shahyad

Bagheiat-allah University of Medical Sciences

shima.shahyad@gmail.com+98 21 8755 4148

Outcome results

None listed

Source: IRCT (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026