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What are People Grateful for? Investigating the Relationship between Gratitude, Mental Well-Being and Depression: A Qualitative Study

Meier, J. (2018) What are People Grateful for? Investigating the Relationship between Gratitude, Mental Well-Being and Depression: A Qualitative Study.

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Abstract:Gratitude interventions showed promising effects on mental well-being and depression. However, little is known about what people are grateful for. Researchers from the University of Twente conducted a longitudinal study to investigate the effects of a gratitude intervention. This study aimed to examine what people are thankful for and how this relates to their mental well-being and depressive symptoms. The qualitative data of 25 participants were analyzed by means of content analysis and then linked to the difference scores of mental well-being and depression by correlation analysis. Ten aspects of gratitude have been found, e.g. relationships with others and health- and work-related issues. The reflection part revealed seven further topics about participants’ perceived impact of the intervention, e.g. awareness, positive emotions and altering behavior. No significant correlations have been found between the codes and the outcome variables, except one. The code 'Altering Behavior' had a significant negative correlation with the difference score of depression and a significant positive correlation with the difference score of mental well-being. The data provide a good overview of the aspects people are grateful for, however more research is needed to investigate which aspects of gratitude have the most positive impact on people’s life.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:77 psychology
Programme:Psychology MSc (66604)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/76699
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