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Appreciation of Others Buffers the Associations of Stressful Life Events with Depressive and Physical Symptoms

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  • Nathan T. Deichert

    (Black Hills State University)

  • Micah Prairie Chicken

    (University of North Dakota)

  • Lexus Hodgman

    (Black Hills State University)

Abstract

The current study is a cross-sectional examination of the stress-buffering effects of gratitude. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to examine whether various aspect of gratitude—appreciation of others, simple appreciation, and sense of abundance—functioned equivalently as stress-buffers and alleviated negative psychological and physical reactions to life events. One-hundred eighty-one college students completed self-report, retrospective measures of dispositional gratitude, depressive symptoms, and physical symptoms, as well as the amount of stressful life events experienced. Data were analyzed using multiple hierarchical regression. The results of the analyses revealed significant statistical interactions between appreciation of others, stressful life events, and both depressive and physical symptoms. Specifically, participants reporting a greater sense of appreciation of others also reported lower levels of depressive and physical symptoms when experiencing stress. Our results are consistent with previous research that demonstrates the protective health benefits of gratitude but highlights the importance of considering the unique aspects of the different components of gratitude.

Suggested Citation

  • Nathan T. Deichert & Micah Prairie Chicken & Lexus Hodgman, 2019. "Appreciation of Others Buffers the Associations of Stressful Life Events with Depressive and Physical Symptoms," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 1071-1088, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:20:y:2019:i:4:d:10.1007_s10902-018-9988-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-018-9988-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Chih-Che Lin, 2014. "A higher-Order Gratitude Uniquely Predicts Subjective Well-Being: Incremental Validity Above the Personality and a Single Gratitude," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 119(2), pages 909-924, November.
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    1. Bozena Burzynska-Tatjewska & Maciej Stolarski, 2022. "Leaving Past Adversities Behind: Gratitude Intervention Compensates for the Undesirable Effects of Past Time Perspectives on Negative Affect," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-12, October.
    2. Erin M. Fekete & Nathan T. Deichert, 2022. "A Brief Gratitude Writing Intervention Decreased Stress and Negative Affect During the COVID-19 Pandemic," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 2427-2448, August.

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