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Van Dusen Master's Thesis.pdf (536.57 KB)

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Relationships amongst Gratitude, Well-Being and Depression

Van Dusen, John Patrick
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5070-1452
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1403109455

Abstract Details

2014, Master of Arts, University of Toledo, Psychology - Clinical.
Recent research provides evidence that the study of positive characteristics and human strengths can increase clinical understanding and treatment of psychopathology. Investigation of interventions based on positive functioning is concordant with the aims of clinical psychology, and explores an implicit but understudied aspect of intervention development. One promising strengths-based intervention is the gratitude list or diary. Several studies have provided evidence that gratitude diary interventions are effective in improving well-being, and experimental research suggests that gratitude diary interventions may also have the ability to reduce depressive symptoms and other forms of psychopathology. However, despite broad enthusiasm for gratitude interventions, many theoretical and practical questions about gratitude itself remain unanswered. If a gratitude intervention is efficacious in the treatment of psychopathology, what mediators and mechanisms might explain its efficacy? Does gratitude possess unique characteristics that warrant the addition of interventions based on gratitude to a field already inundated with excessive variety in treatments? Methodologically stringent studies are required to evaluate gratitude interventions on substantive clinical outcome measures before the enthusiasm surrounding gratitude interventions can be considered warranted. However, research on the efficacy of gratitude interventions can be supported by studies examining causal pathways by which the improvement of gratitude might decrease symptomatology. The present longitudinal study examines the relationships amongst trait gratitude, subjective and psychological well-being, and depression to determine if increased subjective well-being mediates the relationship between trait gratitude and depression. Results of linear regression analyses indicate that while controlling for other variables, gratitude has a moderately sized, unique effect on later depressive symptoms. A test of mediation indicates that the effect of gratitude on depression is partially mediated by the life satisfaction component of subjective well-being, but not by positive affect or negative affect. Furthermore, the direct effect of gratitude on depressive symptoms remains significant and moderately sized in the presence of the mediating effect. Implications and limitations of this study, as well as future directions, are discussed.
Mojisola Tiamiyu, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Wesley Bullock, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Jason Levine, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Jeanne Brockmyer, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
109 p.
Clinical Psychology
gratitude; well-being; depression; subjective well-being; positive psychology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Van Dusen, J. P. (2014). Relationships amongst Gratitude, Well-Being and Depression [Master's thesis, University of Toledo]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1403109455

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Van Dusen, John. Relationships amongst Gratitude, Well-Being and Depression. 2014. University of Toledo, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1403109455.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Van Dusen, John. "Relationships amongst Gratitude, Well-Being and Depression." Master's thesis, University of Toledo, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1403109455

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

toledo1403109455
596
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This open access ETD is published by University of Toledo and OhioLINK.