The Mediating Role of Interpretation Bias on the Relationship Between Trait Gratitude and Depressive Symptoms

Abstract

High levels of trait gratitude are associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms, but the potential mechanisms underlying this relationship have not been extensively studied. One potential explanation for this relationship is that individuals with higher levels of trait gratitude may have a more positive cognitive style, such that they interpret, attend to, and remember events in a more positive rather than negative manner. This study aimed to explore whether one aspect of a positive cognitive style, a positive interpretation bias, is a mediator in the relationship between trait gratitude and depressive symptoms. During a single visit to the lab, we asked eighty-eight individuals (41 females) to complete a measure of trait gratitude (the Gratitude Resentment and Appreciation Test [GRAT]), two measures of interpretation bias (the Sentence Completion Test for Depression [SCD], and the Ambiguous Scenarios Test for Depression [ASTD]), and a measure of depressive symptoms (the Beck Depression Inventory [BDI-II]). The results of the mediation analyses indicated that a positive interpretation bias partially explained the relationship between trait gratitude and depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that trait gratitude may reduce depressive symptoms in part through its effects on positive thinking patterns. Future longitudinal studies will be needed to elucidate the causal relationship between these variables in greater detail.