An interventional study of Reflective Interpersonal Gratitude and Reflective-Behavioral Gratitude in Happiness, sponsored by University of Limerick. Completed at 1 site in Ireland. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2016-03-02.
Sponsored by University of Limerick · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This randomized controlled study will examine the effects of different interpersonal gratitude journals compared to a neutral control journal on psycho social outcomes.
This randomized controlled study will examine the effect of a) a reflective interpersonal gratitude journal, and b) an reflective and behavioral interpersonal gratitude journal, versus (c) an active control journal, on life satisfaction and other secondary outcomes. Explanatory mechanisms will be tested utilizing the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of these three conditions with three week, one month and three month follow-up assessments.
144 studies on the registry are indexed under Personal Satisfaction; 49 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 192 is above the median of 91 across 120 interventional studies indexed under Personal Satisfaction.
Browse Personal Satisfaction studies →University of Limerick is the lead sponsor of 60 studies on the registry; 9 are open to participants now.
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An interpersonal gratitude journal, designed to foster gratitude for one's existing social relationships, by writing and reflecting on people and positive daily encounters for which one is grateful.
Behavioral: Reflective Interpersonal Gratitude
An interpersonal gratitude journal, designed to foster gratitude for one's existing social relationships, by writing and reflecting on people and positive daily encounters for which one is grateful. In addition participants are asked to choose a friend express this gratitude to them at the end of each week.
Behavioral: Reflective-Behavioral Gratitude
Write about and reflect on things that occurred over the course of the day.
Behavioral: Neutral Control Journal
Participants were given the following instructions in their journal: Writing is a great way to reflect on your daily events, helping to look back and focus on the good things in our lives. There are many things in our lives, big and small, which we might be grateful for. For the next three weeks, 3 times a week (9 days in total), reflect back on your day and think of the people you met and interacted with and are grateful for. Please write down in the space provided a number of positive social interactions over the day or friendships/relationships you are grateful for…..
Participants were given the following identical instructions as the reflective journal in addition to this "At the end of each week, express this gratitude to a friend of your choice face-to-face or through e-mail, facebook, a kind note, tell him/her how much you appreciate something specific that he/she does and reflect on how your friend's reaction and how you feel."
Writing is a great way to reflect on your daily events, helping to look back and reflect on our lives. For the next three weeks, 3 times a week (9 days in total), please write in the spaces provided things that happened during the day.
Changes in Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Diener, E. D., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985).
Used to assess changes in life satisfaction levels over the course of the intervention and follow-ups.
Time frame: Baseline, immediate post-intervention at three weeks,1 month, 3 months
National Institute of Health Social Relationships Companionship Scale which assess Friendship Quality and Loneliness. Cyranowski, J. M., Zill, N., Bode, R., Butt, Z., Kelly, M. A., Pilkonis, P. A., & Cella, D. (2013).
Used to assess changes in social relationships over the course of the intervention and follow-ups.
Time frame: Baseline, immediate post-intervention at three weeks,1 month, 3 months
The Gratitude Questionnaire-Six Item Form (GQ-6) McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J. (2002).
Used to assess changes in gratitude levels over the course of the intervention and follow-ups.
Time frame: Baseline, immediate post-intervention at three weeks,1 month, 3 months
The Expression of Gratitude in Relationships Scale. Lambert, N. M., Clarke, M. S., Durtschi, J. A., Fincham, F. D., & Graham, S. M. (2010).
Used to assess changes in levels of gratitude expression over the course of the intervention and follow-ups.
Time frame: Baseline, immediate post-intervention at three weeks,1 month, 3 months
The Four- item Relationship Satisfaction Scale. Funk, J. L., & Rogge, R. D. (2007).
Used to assess changes in relationship satisfaction levels over the course of the intervention and follow-ups.
Time frame: Baseline, immediate post-intervention at three weeks,1 month, 3 months
Depressive symptoms: CES-D 10 (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale 10 item scale) Short Form. Andresen, E. M., Malmgren, J. A., Carter, W. B., & Patrick, D. L. (1994).
Used to assess changes in depressive symptom levels over the course of the intervention and follow-ups.
Time frame: Baseline, immediate post-intervention at three weeks,,1 month, 3 months
Relationship closeness: Inclusion of other in the Self Scale Aron, A., Aron, E. N., & Smollan, D. (1992).
Used to assess changes in relationship closeness over the course of the intervention and follow-ups.
Time frame: Baseline, immediate post-intervention at three weeks,1 month, 3 months
Scale of Positive and Negative Experiences , can use the Positive Feelings/affect subscale Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi. D., Oishi, S., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2009).
potential moderator
Time frame: Baseline, immediate post-intervention at three weeks,1 month, 3 months
This study is completed, as verified in Mar 2016. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of Limerick