Framing gratitude journaling as prayer amplifies its hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, but not health, benefits

On the correlation between gratitude and resilience in medical students

Objective

Medical students' health and resilience have increasingly been the subject of current research in recent years. A variety of interventions are recommended to strengthen resilience or its known or suspected influencing factors, although the literature shows that the evidence on the effectiveness of the interventions is inconsistent. The present study investigated whether gratitude is a direct protective factor for resilience in medical students or whether resilience factors (optimism, self-efficacy, social support) and stress mediate the effects of gratitude on resilience.

Methods

90 medical students at Witten/Herdecke University took part in the study that determined their gratitude, resilience, optimism, self-efficacy, social support and stress levels using validated questionnaires (GQ-6, RS-25, LOT-R, SWE, F-SozU, PSS). Correlations were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients. In addition, a multivariate regression analysis and a path analysis were calculated to determine the direct and indirect effects of gratitude on resilience.

Results

Multivariate regression analysis showed that only optimism, social support and stress were significantly associated with resilience (B=0.48, 95% CI: 0.31, 0.66; B=0.23, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.44 and B=-0.02, 95% CI: -0.03, -0.001, respectively). The direct effect of gratitude on resilience was minimal and not significant in the path analysis. However, there was an indirect effect of gratitude on resilience (B=0.321; p<0.05). Mediation via the optimism variable was mainly responsible for this effect (indirect effect B=0.197; p<0.05).

Conclusion

This study shows that gratitude has only a minimal direct influence on resilience. However, results indicate that optimism as a mediating factor strengthens the resilience of medical students. Against this background, it may be useful to integrate interventions that promote an optimistic attitude into medical studies in order to strengthen the mental health of future doctors in the long term.

Student athlete well-being framework: an empirical examination of elite college student athletes

The current study proposes a multidimensional student athlete well-being framework (SAWBF). The authors used 12 items to capture SAWBF comprised of four well-being dimensions (i.e., physical, hedonic, psychological, and social well-being). To empirically assess the reliability and validity of the framework, data from elite collegiate student athletes in Japan (N = 546) were procured. The results indicated sufficient convergent and discriminant validities of SAWBF. The authors also assessed predictive validity correlations of the framework by focusing on the oft-supported well-being outcome-organizational citizenship behavior, which were also found to be associated with SAWBF. The findings indicated the usefulness of SAWBF; and coaches and staff members can utilize the framework to multi-dimensionally understand well-being status of their student athletes, potentially boosting adaptive behaviors.

The Benefits of Spiritual Diaries: A Mixed-Method Study in Korea

This mixed study examined the benefits of spiritual diaries in Korea. Quantitatively, differences in spiritual growth and psychological well-being were examined in relation to the frequency of writing spiritual diaries among 385 participating adults. The group who wrote spiritual diaries '5-7 times a week' had significantly higher scores relating to spiritual growth and psychological wellbeing than other groups across the outcome variables. Qualitatively, the study also explored the benefits of writing spiritual diaries among 37 adults. Three major themes using four focus group interviews, were identified: (a) the acquisition of godly habits, (b) a closer walk with Jesus, and (c) the fullness of God's presence. These findings are particularly important for healthcare providers who want to facilitate patient self-care.

Mixed Results on the Efficacy of the CharacterMe Smartphone App to Improve Self-Control, Patience, and Emotional Regulation Competencies in Adolescents

Unprecedented levels of access to adolescents' time and attention provide opportunities to convert traditional character and socioemotional competencies interventions into behavioral intervention technologies. However, these new tools must be evaluated rather than assuming previously validated activities will be efficacious when converted to a mobile platform. Thus, we sought to design and provide initial data on the effectiveness of the CharacterMe smartphone app to build self-control and patience, which are built on underlying social-emotional regulation competencies, in a sample of 618 adolescents (M_age = 16.07, Female = 56.6%). We also sought to examine whether framing the app activities as having a transcendent (spiritual connection or moral/prosocial) rather than instrumental purpose would increase engagement and change in self-control, patience, and emotion regulation. Finally, we tested the impact of framing activities as building strengths vs. fixing weaknesses. Results highlight the difficulty of translating psychological interventions to behavioral intervention technologies. Overall, the CharacterMe smartphone app was unsuccessful in increasing self-control, patience, or emotion regulation in adolescents, with analyses showing no significant mean changes over time. Framing conditions and user engagement were largely not significant predictors of change in self-control, patience, and emotion regulation.

Stress management training and gratitude journaling in the classroom: an initial investigation in Indian context

Stress and allied difficulties are pervasive among school students in present times. This concern is further magnified in the Indian context with the large represention of young people in the population and limited resources to match. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of a classroom based stress management training and gratitude journaling intervention (Flinchbaugh et al., 2012) among Indian adolescents. The intervention curriculum was adapted to suit the study context. A total of 238 students (57% males) from Grades 7–9 participated in this study. Participants were recruited from two schools, and their age ranged from 11 to 14 years. In each participating school, students were randomised at the classroom level into three intervention groups (Stress Management Training, Gratitude Journaling, combination of both), and one control group. Using a pre-test – post-test design, intervention impact on measures of well-being, life satisfaction, perceived stress, meaning, and engagement in the classroom was evaluated. Results suggested limited effectiveness of stress management training and gratitude journaling among participants in the present context. Plausible explanations for these findings are discussed. The study emphasizes the need for customised interventions to obtain optimal outcomes among diverse populations.

A systematic review of gratitude interventions: Effects on physical health and health behaviors

OBJECTIVE

Gratitude interventions are easy-to-deliver, offering promise for use in clinical-care. Although gratitude interventions have consistently shown benefits to psychological wellbeing, the effects on physical health outcomes are mixed. This systematic review aims to synthesize gratitude intervention studies which assessed physical health and health behavior outcomes, as well as evaluate study quality, comment on their efficacy, and provide directions for future research.

METHODS

Relevant studies were identified through searches conducted in PsycINFO, MedLine, Embase and Cochrane Library databases, up until August 2019. Only studies that evaluated a gratitude intervention, randomly assigned participants to gratitude and control conditions, and assessed objective and subjective measures of physical health and health behaviors were included. The Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias (RoB2) tool was used to assess risk of bias.

RESULTS

Of the 1433 articles found, 19 were included in the review. Subjective sleep quality was improved in 5/8 studies. Improvements in blood pressure, glycemic control, asthma control and eating behavior were understudied yet demonstrated improvements (all 1/1). Other outcome categories remain understudied and mixed, such as inflammation markers (1/2) and self-reported physical symptoms (2/8). The majority of studies showed some risk of bias concerns.

CONCLUSIONS

Although it was suggested gratitude interventions may improve subjective sleep quality, more research is still needed to make firm conclusions on the efficacy of gratitude interventions on improving health outcomes. Further research focusing on gratitude's link with sleep and causal mechanisms is needed, especially in patient populations where more 'clinically-usable' psychosocial interventions are urgently needed.