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Giving Thanks is Associated with Lower PTSD Severity: A Meta-Analytic Review

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  • Angela L. Richardson

    (University of Houston)

  • Matthew W. Gallagher

    (University of Houston)

Abstract

A rising interest in the psychological community in resilience has spurred research examining psychological resources that promote resilience to psychopathologies such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One such psychological resource is gratitude, or one’s perception of a positive outcome resulting from an outside entity. The present study is a meta-analytic review of the relationship between gratitude and PTSD in order to determine whether the current literature is consistent with gratitude acting as a possible protective factor against PTSD severity as well as a possible intervention mechanism. A comprehensive literature review identified 11 studies that met eligibility criteria, resulting in a total of 3694 participants. The mean effect size between gratitude and PTSD severity was − 0.23 [95% CI (− 0.32, − 0.15)], indicating a moderate, negative relationship between gratitude and PTSD severity. Moderator analyses indicated that these results were not impacted by gender or trauma type. The moderate association between gratitude and PTSD is indicative that further study may be needed to explore if and how gratitude may work to protect against or be used to reduce PTSD.

Suggested Citation

  • Angela L. Richardson & Matthew W. Gallagher, 2021. "Giving Thanks is Associated with Lower PTSD Severity: A Meta-Analytic Review," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(6), pages 2549-2562, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:22:y:2021:i:6:d:10.1007_s10902-020-00322-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-020-00322-9
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