Gratitude Interventions for Academic Stress Among Pakistani Adolescents
Condition: Stress, Psychological
MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The experimental nature of this study will provide the empirical data in analyzing the
      effectiveness of gratitude exercises which later can be adapted in stress reduction programs
      at school level. This research will focus on the school related positive life experiences for
      example thinking about a teacher/mentor kindness and contribution in their lives, then write
      a letter that describes their gratitude & letter will be delivered to that person indirectly.
      This may help in focusing on the positive aspects of school life. This modification will
      serve as testing this new model for assessing the combined effect of gratitude interventions.
    

Detailed description: 
      Academic stress is an inevitable part of students' lives with long-term negative consequences
      on physical health, mental well-being, and social relations. In Asian cultures, expectations
      of parents and teachers are additional components of academic stress which have not been
      addressed in different stress management programs. Therefore, the present research addresses
      these contributory stress factors by using gratitude interventions in Pakistani high schools.

      The study employs Broaden and Build Theory and Cognitive Appraisal Theory in formulating the
      intervention model and variables being tested through pretest-posttest experimental research
      design with a control group. A total of 102 high school students from two genders segregated
      schools of Rawalpindi city, Pakistan, served as the participants. They were randomly assigned
      into experimental and control groups, with 51 participants in each group. There were 41 boys
      and 61 girls with a mean age of 15.71+ 0.92 years. The measures included Academic
      Expectations Stress Inventory (AESI), Inventory of High-School Students' Recent Life
      Experiences (IHSSRLE), Modified Differential Emotions Scale (mDES), Gratitude Questionnaire-6
      (GQ-6) and Gratitude Adjective Checklist (GAC). Three gratitude interventions, including
      Count your Blessings, Gratitude Letters and Loving-Kindness Meditation, were modified to
      focus on school-related experiences. The model consisted of nine sessions applied in schools
      for four weeks with 30-40 minutes each day. The research protocol and intervention model were
      adapted into Urdu for better understanding among participants. The data were analyzed through
      descriptive and inferential statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, SD, paired sample
      t-test, independent sample t-test, multivariate analysis of variance and effect size).
    

Intervention name(s): School based Gratitude Interventions
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Three gratitude interventions including Count your blessings, Gratitude Letter and Loving Kindness Meditation were applied with modification focusing on school related experiences. For example, writing a gratitude letter to a teacher, mentor or coach who played a significant role in one's life then imagining on the same person during LKM exercise of imagery. There were 9 sessions with 3-4 exercises in each session.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Intervention model description: Experimental research design with randomized control trial with difference of 4 weeks were be applied. Pretest post-test was done to compare the difference in the scores of academic stress and emotional experiences among adolescents before and after the intervention. Two experimental conditions will be used: (1) Gratitude (individuals assigned with daily gratitude-inducing activity) and (2) Control (no-assigned activity). Both groups were measured at (a) Pre-test (prior to the intervention); (b) Post-test (immediately after intervention).
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care
Keywords: Academic Expectations; Emotional Experiences