Abstract

Background: Creative and expressive writing has been increasingly used as a supportive approach for children’s emotional development, yet empirical research on its effects in non-clinical child populations remains limited, particularly in Eastern European contexts. Expressive writing is assumed to support emotional regulation through narrative integration and emotional clarification.

Method: This exploratory pilot study examined pre–post changes associated with a ten-session online creative and expressive writing program. Participants were 27 typically developing children aged 9–12 years (M = 10.7), with a final analytical sample of 26 children. Parents completed the ASEBA–Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL 6–18) before and after the intervention. Outcomes included Anxiety/Depression, Withdrawal/Depression, and Aggressive Behaviour. Analyses focused on descriptive pre–post change patterns.

Results: Downward trends were observed across all assessed indicators. Decreases were most consistent for Anxiety/Depression (88.5% of participants) and Aggressive Behaviour (53.8%), while changes in Withdrawal/Depression were less pronounced (34.6%). A notable cross-sectional finding was a reduction in the CBCL item reflecting maladaptive perfectionism (“I must be perfect”).

Conclusions: The findings suggest that creative and expressive writing may support emotional regulation in school-age children, particularly by reducing internalized distress and externalized behavioural tension. Effects related to social withdrawal appeared more limited, highlighting the relational complexity of this dimension. These preliminary results support further controlled and longitudinal research on expressive writing as a developmentally appropriate emotional regulation strategy.

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