Evaluating the effects of gratitude interventions on college student well-being

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effects of three different gratitude interventions on college student well-being. Participants: Participants were 132 college students at a university in the northwest sampled between September 2019 and February 2020. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to one of three gratitude interventions (journaling, reflection, app prompted reflection) or an activity-matched control group for 8 weeks and completed baseline and post-intervention assessments of well-being (e.g., satisfaction with life, happiness, resilience, depression, anxiety, and stress). Results: Participants in all three gratitude intervention groups showed improvements in well-being over time, whereas the control group did not report any such improvements. Gratitude journaling appeared to have the most significant positive impact on well-being and affective functioning. Conclusions: Gratitude interventions are simple, easy to implement, low-cost tools that can increase overall well-being and decrease negative affect, stress, and anxiety in college students.

Keywords: Gratitude; intervention; negative affect; stress; well-being.