Gratitude and Religiosity in Psychiatric Inpatients with Depression

Background: Gratitude and religiousness/spirituality are increasingly recognized resources that have potential influence on psychological states such as depression. However, only few studies have investigated this relationship in psychiatric patients.

Objective: The present study examined gratitude in psychiatric inpatients with depression, exploring its relevance, course, and interaction with psychopathological and religious measures. Both general and religious gratitude will be evaluated.

Methods: A total of 212 inpatients with depression completed a questionnaire both at the beginning and the end of treatment. Gratitude was measured with a general gratitude scale using the Gratitude Questionnaire and a religion-specific measure assessing gratitude to God as part of the Structure of Religiosity Test. The Beck Depression Inventory was used to evaluate depressive symptoms. General religiosity was assessed using the Centrality of Religiosity Scale.

Results: Scores on the general and religious gratitude measures were in the upper range of these scales at baseline and demonstrated a significant increase during the hospital stay. Negative associations were found between general gratitude and depressive symptoms both on admission and at discharge ( = -0.505 and = -0.478, respectively). General as well as religious gratitude was associated with the centrality of religiosity ( = 0.384 and = 0.546, respectively). Religiosity accounted for approximately 10% of the variance in general gratitude on admission.

Conclusions: Gratitude is highly prevalent in psychiatric patients with depression, and that may serve as a resource for these individuals. Both general and religious gratitude are associated with religiosity, which may also serve as a resource to these patients.