The Effects of Manipulating Expectations in a Gratitude Intervention
NCT ID: NCT03784001
Last Updated: 2020-06-09
Study Results
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View full resultsBasic Information
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COMPLETED
NA
125 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2019-02-05
2019-02-28
Brief Summary
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Knowing the benefits of gratitude prior to an intervention could affect participant behavior and health outcomes. Past studies have illustrated that sharing information about treatments changes expectations and improves outcomes (Zion \& Crum, 2018). For instance, overt medical treatments are more effective than hidden ones (Colloca, Lopiano, Lanotte, \& Benedetti, 2004).
The proposed study is designed to evaluate whether expectations about intervention efficacy can enhance the benefits of a brief gratitude intervention. Specifically, the investigators will test if providing information on the benefits of gratitude will enhance intervention outcomes. This 3-armed randomized controlled trial will have the following conditions: gratitude + expectation, gratitude, and events control. Participants will be undergraduate college students and the online intervention will last two weeks.
Participants in the two gratitude conditions will login to an online form three times a week for two weeks and make entries of up to five things they are grateful for. The form for participants in the gratitude + expectation condition will also provide information about benefits of gratitude. An everyday events control will be used to provide a neutral comparison condition. This group will be instructed to type up to five things or events of note from their day on their form.
Outcome measures will be collected via an online survey before and immediately after the intervention. The primary outcome is well-being and the secondary outcomes are sleep quality and quantity, state gratitude, positive affect, healthcare self-efficacy, stress, and depressive symptoms. The investigators predict that participants in the gratitude + expectation condition will have enhanced intervention outcomes compared to participants in comparison conditions.
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Detailed Description
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Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions: gratitude + expectations, gratitude, or an everyday events control condition. Participants will be emailed six different times, once every two days, with a link to an anonymous Google form. Each Google form will instruct participants to type either a short gratitude list (for gratitude + expectations and gratitude conditions) or an events list (for everyday events control), and will have a section for participants to enter their personal identification numbers. Additionally, the first form will include a demographics questionnaire and the first and sixth forms will include questionnaires assessing all outcomes of interest.The primary outcome of interest is well-being. The secondary outcomes of interest are sleep, state gratitude, healthcare self-efficacy, stress, and depressive symptoms.
Participants in the gratitude + expectations condition will have a statement at the top of their Google form about the benefits of gratitude. Examples of these statements are: "Practicing gratitude may increase social connectedness" and "Cultivating gratitude was shown to improve school satisfaction in a sample of students". By the end of the study, participants will have completed six gratitude or everyday events lists and two questionnaires.
Interventions:
1. Gratitude + No Expectations: Participants in the gratitude condition will practice a counting your blessings intervention for two weeks. Participants will be instructed to list up to five things they are grateful for every two days for the two weeks of the intervention (six times total).
2. Gratitude + expectations: Participants in this condition will be given the same instructions as the gratitude condition and will also be given the regular reminders of the benefits of gratitude.
3. Everyday events: Participants will be instructed to list up to five details about their day, such as activities they engaged in, or conversations they had. Participants will make these lists every two days for two weeks (six times total).
Questionnaires:
Self-report questionnaires with high test-retest reliability and internal validity will be administered at baseline and post intervention to access changes in outcomes of interest, such as well-being, depressive symptoms, and anxiety.
Questionnaires administered only at baseline: Communication and Attitudinal Self-Efficacy Scale (CASE) and demographic questionnaire
Questionnaires administered pre- and post-intervention: Mental Health Continuum-Short Form, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Sleep Disturbance Scale, Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) duration items, Modified Differential Emotions Scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Perceived Stress Scale 4
Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
OTHER
SINGLE
Study Groups
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Gratitude + No Expectations
Participants will type online lists of up to five items they are grateful for, every two days for two weeks.
Gratitude + No Expectations Intervention
Participants will be emailed six different times, once every two days, with a link to an anonymous Google form. Each Google form will instruct participants to type a short gratitude list of up to five items. Additionally, the first form will include a demographics questionnaire and the first and sixth forms will include questionnaires assessing all outcomes of interest
Gratitude + Expectations
Participants will type online lists of up to five items they are grateful for, every two days for two weeks. They will also be told a benefit of gratitude each time they write an online gratitude list.
Gratitude + Expectations Intervention
Participants will be emailed six different times, once every two days, with a link to an anonymous Google form. Each Google form will instruct participants to type a short gratitude list of up to five items. Participants will have a statement at the top of their Google form about the benefits of gratitude. Examples of these statements are: "Practicing gratitude may increase social connectedness" and "Cultivating gratitude was shown to improve school satisfaction in a UK sample of students". Additionally, the first form will include a demographics questionnaire and the first and sixth forms will include questionnaires assessing all outcomes of interest
Events Control
Participants will type online lists of up to five events from their day, every two day for two weeks.
Events Control Intervention
Participants will be emailed six different times, once every two days, with a link to an anonymous Google form. Each Google form will instruct participants to type a list of up to five items about events from their day. Additionally, the first form will include a demographics questionnaire and the first and sixth forms will include questionnaires assessing all outcomes of interest.
Interventions
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Gratitude + No Expectations Intervention
Participants will be emailed six different times, once every two days, with a link to an anonymous Google form. Each Google form will instruct participants to type a short gratitude list of up to five items. Additionally, the first form will include a demographics questionnaire and the first and sixth forms will include questionnaires assessing all outcomes of interest
Gratitude + Expectations Intervention
Participants will be emailed six different times, once every two days, with a link to an anonymous Google form. Each Google form will instruct participants to type a short gratitude list of up to five items. Participants will have a statement at the top of their Google form about the benefits of gratitude. Examples of these statements are: "Practicing gratitude may increase social connectedness" and "Cultivating gratitude was shown to improve school satisfaction in a UK sample of students". Additionally, the first form will include a demographics questionnaire and the first and sixth forms will include questionnaires assessing all outcomes of interest
Events Control Intervention
Participants will be emailed six different times, once every two days, with a link to an anonymous Google form. Each Google form will instruct participants to type a list of up to five items about events from their day. Additionally, the first form will include a demographics questionnaire and the first and sixth forms will include questionnaires assessing all outcomes of interest.
Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* Proficient in English
* 18 years of age or older
* Has a valid email address
* Access to the internet
18 Years
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
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University of California, Los Angeles
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Tanera van Diggelen
Principal Investigator
Principal Investigators
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Tanera van Diggelen
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
University of California, Los Angeles
Locations
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UCLA
Los Angeles, California, United States
Countries
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References
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Froh JJ, Sefick WJ, Emmons RA. Counting blessings in early adolescents: an experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being. J Sch Psychol. 2008 Apr;46(2):213-33. doi: 10.1016/j.jsp.2007.03.005. Epub 2007 May 4.
Bartlett MY, DeSteno D. Gratitude and prosocial behavior: helping when it costs you. Psychol Sci. 2006 Apr;17(4):319-25. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01705.x.
Watkins, P., Woodward, K., Stone, T., & Kolts, R. (2003). Gratitude and happiness: Development of a measure of gratitude and relationships with subjective well-being. Social Behavior and Personality: An international journal, 31, 431-452. doi: 10.2224/sbp.2003.31.5.431
Kruse, E., Chancellor, J., Ruberton, P.M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). An upward spiral between gratitude and humility. Social Psychological and Personality Science. 5(7), 805-814. doi: 10.1177/1948550614534700
Rash, J. A., Matsuba, M. K., & Prkachin, K. M. (2011). Gratitude and well-being: who benefits the most from a gratitude intervention? Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 3(3), 350-369. doi: 10.1111/j.1758-0854.2011.01058.x
Zion SR, Crum AJ. Mindsets Matter: A New Framework for Harnessing the Placebo Effect in Modern Medicine. Int Rev Neurobiol. 2018;138:137-160. doi: 10.1016/bs.irn.2018.02.002. Epub 2018 Mar 20.
Colloca L, Lopiano L, Lanotte M, Benedetti F. Overt versus covert treatment for pain, anxiety, and Parkinson's disease. Lancet Neurol. 2004 Nov;3(11):679-84. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(04)00908-1.
Emmons RA, McCullough ME. Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003 Feb;84(2):377-89. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.84.2.377.
Sheldon, K.M. & Lyubomirsky, S. 2006. How to increase and sustain positive emotion: The effects of expressing gratitude and visualizing best possible selves. The Journal of Positive Psychology. 1(2). 73-82. doi:10.1080/17439760500510676
Jackowska M, Brown J, Ronaldson A, Steptoe A. The impact of a brief gratitude intervention on subjective well-being, biology and sleep. J Health Psychol. 2016 Oct;21(10):2207-17. doi: 10.1177/1359105315572455. Epub 2015 Mar 2.
Provided Documents
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Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan
Other Identifiers
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1997
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
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