Using Values Narratives to Promote Youth Well-being in Schools: An Exploratory Quantitative Evaluation of the Laws of Life Essay

Expressive writing or values narratives are a promising addition to school social workers' toolkits of intervention strategies for distressed youth and prevention work to reduce mental health problems in schools. Narrative can promote resilience among students who have been exposed to adversity and promote healthy development among those who have not. It is consistent with discussions in the field of whole-school approaches to promoting successful academic and life outcomes among students. The current study was a preliminary program investigation of the Laws of Life Essay Program, an expressive writing program used in middle and high schools nationally and internationally. Drawing from a community sample of 1,062 adolescents and young adults from ages twelve to twenty-four, the authors examined differences between students who did and did not complete a values narrative about a guiding principle in their own life. Participants who reported high levels of engagement with the writing exercise showed higher levels of well-being and greater strengths related to self-regulation and emotion regulation and sense of purpose than individuals who did not write an essay or who wrote an essay but in a disengaged manner.