Gratitude is Positively Associated with Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis

Purpose/objective: Individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) often experience decreased quality of life (QoL), in part attributable to fatigue, depression (Benedict et al., 2005), and cognitive dysfunction (Cutajar et al., 2000). Beyond these well-established predictors, the positive trait of gratitude-attentiveness to positive features in one's life-has predicted QoL in the context of other chronic illnesses. However, relatively little research has examined the relevance of gratitude as a contributor to QoL in MS. The purpose of the present study was (a) to test whether trait gratitude would predict QoL in MS, above and beyond known predictors (e.g., perceived and objectively assessed cognitive dysfunction, fatigue, and depression symptoms), and (b) to test whether gratitude would buffer (i.e., moderate) the effects of these predictors on QoL. Research Method/Design: This study employed a cross-sectional, single time-point design. Participants formally diagnosed with MS ( = 128) completed a short battery to assess cognitive function and self-report measures of depression, fatigue, perceived cognitive functioning, gratitude, and QoL.

Results: Consistent with hypotheses, gratitude uniquely predicted higher QoL beyond other predictors. In addition, gratitude buffered the effect of objective cognitive performance on QoL as expected, but did not interact with other predictors.

Conclusions/implications: These results suggest the need for further research into gratitude as a potential source of resilience for individuals with MS. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).