Increasing Medical Student Well-being Through Gratitude Journaling

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Clerkship causes significant stress to medical students. Some interventions to increase well-being have been described but none have been studied prospectively in this context. The primary objective of this study is to examine the effects of gratitude journaling on medical clerks' perceived well-being. Students will be randomised to one of two groups: gratitude journaling or no intervention. The participants of the experimental group will be asked to complete an online gratitude journal 3 times per week and will be compared to the participants in the control group. The students in both groups will answer a standardised questionnaire evaluating well-being before and after their surgical rotation. Those randomised to the intervention group will perform gratitude journaling three times a week during their surgical rotation. This activity consists of writing something that made them feel happy during their day. Those randomised in the control group (no intervention) will proceed with their normal rotation, without additional gratitude journaling. The main outcome will be evaluated by comparing the well-being at the end of the surgical rotation as evaluated by a composite well-being assessment scale between both groups.

Detailed Description
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Medical education involves 2 years of rotations in different medical and surgical specialties. These cause significant stress to clerks, in particular during the surgery rotation. In other professional fields, mindfulness techniques have shown only small to moderate effect on mental health compared to the control group. An alternative approach to increasing well-being is gratitude journaling. A study examining this approach in student populations demonstrated enhanced well-being and life satisfaction. The primary objective of this study is to examine the effects of gratitude journaling on medical clerks' perceived well-being. Students will be randomised to one of two groups: gratitude journaling or no intervention. The participants of the experimental group will be asked to complete an online gratitude journal 3 times per week and will be compared to the participants in the control group. The students in both groups will answer a standardised questionnaire evaluating well-being before and after their surgical rotation. Those randomised to the intervention group will perform gratitude journaling three times a week during their surgical rotation. This activity consists of writing something that made them feel happy during their day. Those randomised in the control group (no intervention) will proceed with their normal rotation, without additional gratitude journaling. The main outcome will be evaluated by comparing the well-being at the end of the surgical rotation as evaluated by a composite well-being assessment scale between both groups.

Official Title
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Randomised Controlled Trial of Gratitude Reporting vs no Intervention on Well-being of Medical Students During Clerkship

Conditions
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Stress, Psychological

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Gratitude journaling


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Medical students at the University of Montreal about to begin their surgical clerkship rotation. Exclusion Criteria: -

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Gratitude journaling<br>Students perform gratitude journaling 3 times per week on a form. This activity consists of writing elements of their day that brought happiness to them. Can be in keyword form or in sentences. | Behavioral: Gratitude journaling<br>* Gratitude journaling 3 times a week during surgical rotation<br>|
| No Intervention: No intervention<br>Students proceed with their surgical clerkship as is standard in our institution. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Well-being | Medical student well-being at the end of their surgical rotation. Measured by Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, 1983) | 6 weeks after enrollment | 
| Well-being | Medical student well-being at the end of their surgical rotation. Measured by Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, 1985) | 6 weeks after enrollment | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Well-being before and after comparison | Before and after comparison of well-being by comparing initial and post-intervention questionnaires (Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, 1983)) | 6 weeks after enrollment in study | 
| Compliance with gratitude journaling | Proportion of empty entries in the student's gratitude journal | 6 weeks after enrollment in study | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Stress, Medical education