Therapeutic writing practices with adolescents: A systematic literature review

Objectives. - This systematic literature review aims to define the state of the art regarding the use of writing in therapeutic settings with adolescents. We wish to highlight the effects of therapeutic interventions involving writing. We study the different modalities of interventions based on writing, and how they are mobilized by healthcare or counselling professionals. Our study focuses on the plurality of disciplinary fields using therapeutic writing with adolescents. Method. - We used the PRISMA methodology to select the relevant studies with respect to our subject. We carried out a search by keywords on the following databases: "PsycInfo and Psycarticle", "Web of Science" and "Science Direct". 70 references were selected for this review. Results. - Our research emphasizes that writing is often mobilized in therapeutic contexts related to psychic and somatic care to encourage adolescents' engagement in a therapeutic process. In addition, professionals also apply this method to help reduce anxiety, and to promote emotional disclosure, decentering, and distance from one's personal history. Discussion. - The therapeutic effects of writing have been mainly studied in cognitive-behavioral and, to a lesser degree, psychodynamic perspectives. Although the explanatory models are different, the studies produced in these two paradigms show the positive effects of writing practices on adolescents. Conclusion. - However, the literature on the subject is primarily single case studies, which offer little reproducibility. In addition, there is more research on therapeutic writing practices produced in the cognitive -behavioral field than in the psychodynamic field. More research is thus needed to support the effectiveness of these devices, particularly in a psychoanalytical framework. (C) 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.