LANGUAGE, EMOTION, AND EXPRESSION: COMPARING FIRST AND SECOND LANGUAGE NARRATIVES AMONG BILINGUAL STUDENTS

This study explored how expressive writing and self-dialogue influence emotional regulation among bilingual college students. Spanish English bilingual undergraduate students participated in a two-phase writing intervention designed to reduce psychological distress. Participants completed the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21) after describing a personally meaningful, moderately distressing event in either their first (L1) or second (L2) language. Quantitative analyses revealed a slight decrease in depression, anxiety, and stress scores from Phase 1 to Phase 2, indicating that expressive writing and self-dialogue could be effective in reducing short-term emotional distress. However, differences between language groups were not significant, suggesting that language has no effect on distress scores. Qualitatively, L1 narratives demonstrated greater use of direct emotional language and vivid descriptions of feeling, whereas L2 narratives tended to convey emotion more indirectly through reflective or descriptive phrasing. These findings suggest that expressive writing promotes emotional insight across languages, with linguistic context shaping how emotions are articulated rather than whether emotional change occurs.