The Impact of a Self-Distanced Writing Intervention on Social Anxiety Among College Freshmen: The Mediating Roles of Cognitive Reappraisal and Self-Compassion

Abstract

Background Social anxiety is common during the transition to university, creating a need for brief, accessible psychological interventions. Traditional expressive writing has shown benefits for anxiety, but its emotionally immersive first-person format may be less suitable for some students. Self-distanced writing offers an alternative by encouraging reflection from an observer-like perspective. Purpose We examined whether a four-week self-distanced writing intervention reduced social anxiety more than traditional expressive writing or neutral writing, and whether cognitive reappraisal and self-compassion would mediate any observed advantage. Participants and Methods In a three-arm, assessor-blind randomized controlled trial, 187 first-year students with Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale–Self-Report (LSAS-SR) scores ≥38 were randomly assigned to self-distanced writing (SDW; n=63), traditional expressive writing (EW; n=62), or neutral writing (NW; n=62). Each group completed eight supervised 20-minute sessions over four weeks. We assessed social anxiety, cognitive reappraisal, and self-compassion at baseline, one week after the intervention, and at the one-month follow-up. Results Social anxiety decreased over time, with different trajectories across groups. SDW did not differ significantly from EW at the one-week post-intervention assessment, but at the one-month follow-up it showed greater reductions in social anxiety than both EW and NW. Increased self-compassion helped explain the difference between SDW and EW, whereas cognitive reappraisal did not. Neither process helped explain the difference between SDW and NW. Conclusion A four-week SDW intervention was associated with greater reductions in social anxiety at the one-month follow-up. The findings suggest that self-compassion may be particularly relevant to how SDW differs from traditional expressive writing. Longer follow-up and further evaluation in university settings are needed.