Study tests writing to promote feelings of security during COVID-19
Our team is excited to announce a new publication in Anxiety, Stress, & Coping:
“Development and initial testing of an online security prime writing intervention during COVID-19.”
The study tested a one-week online writing program with 254 older adults and those with health conditions during the early months of the pandemic. Participants wrote either about what made them feel safe and secure, about their pandemic stress and coping, or about neutral topics.
While the “security prime” approach did not reduce distress for everyone, it showed meaningful benefits for individuals who typically struggle with attachment anxiety or avoidance — traits that can make stressful situations harder to navigate.
“In moments of crisis, feeling safe and supported isn’t always possible through direct connection. Finding tools that help people feel secure, even when loved ones aren’t physically present, is an important step in supporting well-being.” — Dr. Angie LeRoy
Former Rice University student and HEAL Lab collaborator Nyla Vela, MSLS, now Branch Manager of the Jacinto City Library in Houston, Texas, reflected on what it meant to take part in the project:
“People earnestly shared their experiences as to what it was like to live through a global pandemic. I felt as though I was let into a private memoir of people all over the country. It brought such a genuine sense of humanity, to an otherwise isolating time.”
Nyla credits her time in the lab with shaping how she approaches her work today. The research skills she gained — from understanding proposals to interpreting results — now help her make science more accessible to her community through tech courses, literacy programs, and public resources. She also applies what she learned about grant writing in a very real way: her library has earned two grants in the past year to support a new community garden.
This recent publication and work adds to the HEAL Lab’s ongoing research on grief, loss, and innovative writing interventions.