How does daily gratitude journaling impact psychological flexibility, and is this relationship moderated by the severity of depressive symptoms?

Abstract

Psychological flexibility (PF) is a key factor of mental health and, therefore, a promising target for intervention to improve long lasting well-being. A large body of research demonstrates the broad benefits of GJ. However, whether it can be used as an intervention to enhance PF has not yet been investigated. Consequently, the study examined the potential effect of GJ on PF and whether this relationship is moderated by depressive symptoms (DS). A sample of 58 young professionals was randomly assigned to either a 10-day GJ intervention or an active Digital Diary (DD) comparison condition, both conducted via the m-path Platform. Results showed that higher PF was significantly associated with lower DS. In contrast, GJ did not improve PF significantly more than the DD group. Additionally, the relationship between GJ and PF was not moderated by DS. These findings suggest that while PF is an important predictor of mental health, GJ may not be the most effective method to enhance PF. The study represents many limitations, such as insufficient power due to a small sample size. Future studies with larger and more diverse samples, longer intervention durations, and consideration of trait gratitude are needed to further clarify this relationship.