The Association between Gratitude and Depression: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Many studies have explored the association between gratitude and depression, but no meta-analysis has been reported. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to fill that gap. The meta-analysis synthesized the association in 70 reported effect sizes from 62 published and unpublished articles, involving a total of 26,427 child, adolescent, and adult participants. The studies were completed by different research teams, using different samples, different measures, and various correlational research designs. The results showed a significant association between gratitude and depression, <i>r</i> = -0.39 (95% confidence intervals -0.44, -0.34), indicating that individuals who experience more gratitude have lower levels of depression. The results did not vary significantly with the measure of gratitude or depression used, whether the study was longitudinal or cross-sectional, the age of participants or the percentage of female participants, suggesting a robust connection between higher levels of gratitude and lower levels of depression. The findings show a substantial association between gratitude and depression. The association provides a reason to explore further the effects of gratitudefocused interventions as a method to alleviate depression and to prevent the development of depression.