The aim of this study was to investigate the role of self-focused attention in the relation between gratitude-disposition and depression. For this purpose, I collected and analyzed questionnaire data on gratitude-disposition, self-consciousness, and d...
The aim of this study was to investigate the role of self-focused attention in the relation between gratitude-disposition and depression. For this purpose, I collected and analyzed questionnaire data on gratitude-disposition, self-consciousness, and depression from 661 university students. Of these, 82 people with high depression scores were selected for experimental study, and randomly assigned to three groups depending on the intervention conditions (gratitude, goal, or everyday event writing). Participants in the gratitude condition were to complete grateful or thankful event record and letter of thanks. But participants in the goal condition were to write down accomplished goal events in life, and everyday condition were to write down events of everyday living. Self-focus and depression were measured free-writing and Brunel Mood Scale.
The questionnaire data showed that gratitude and depression are negatively correlated but, contrary to expectation, gratitude and self-focused attention are positively correlated. The A multiple-regression analysis revealed that self-focused attention did not show moderating and mediating effects of gratitude and depression. In the experimental data, depressive-mood scores decreased in the gratitude condition group that was given, gratitude intervention. In this group, the focus of others increased, but the focus of self was unchanged. Therefore, the current result is consistent with other studies reporting that the other-focused feature of gratitude is distinguished from other positive emotions. Overall, the present findings support the suggestion that gratitude includes self-focused and other-focused features (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).