2 - (IOP 10) Writing Wrongs: A Clinical Trial of an Adapted Expressive Writing Activity for Minoritized Students at Predominantly White Institutions Who Experience Microaggressions

For minoritized students enrolled at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs), racial and ethnic based stressors, such as microaggressions, result in lasting negative repercussions and compound upon universally experienced stressors of higher education. Negative repercussions of microaggressions include increased dropout or transfer rates, distress, fatigue resulting in decreased academic performance, and depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Decades of research demonstrate that Expressive Writing (EW) reduces depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms, improves coping strategies, and reduces activity restriction. Thus, it holds promise as a scalable intervention for addressing the negative repercussions resulting from microaggressions. Informed by the ADAPT-ITT model, our research group previously conducted a pilot study to adapt EW to address microaggressions experienced by minoritized students. This pilot study demonstrated the acceptability of an adapted version of the EW titled Writing Wrongs as evidenced by participants’ reported perception of Writing Wrongs as more helpful, appropriate, enjoyable, and necessary than the original version of EW. Participants in this pilot study also recommended modifications for Writing Wrongs that we implemented in the current study. In the current study, 70 minoritized students attending a PWI were enrolled in a pre-registered, randomized-controlled trial to establish the efficacy of Writing Wrongs in alleviating clinical symptoms. Assessments were administered at pre-test, during each of the three consecutive writing sessions, and at one-week follow-up. We hypothesize that those assigned to the Writing Wrongs condition (n = 35) will demonstrate an improvement in symptoms related to racial and discriminatory trauma, depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress over time and compared to those assigned to the assessment-only condition (n = 35). Data collection was completed in December 2024, and analyses will be completed by May 2025. If found to be efficacious, Writing Wrongs has the potential to be widely disseminated to minoritized college students who experience microaggressions.