Gratitude Journaling and Stress: The Role of Psychological Flexibility in the Daily Life of Students and Young Professionals

Abstract

Stress is an inevitable reality for the daily life of students and young professionals, with severe consequences for their mental health. Gratitude journaling emerged as an effective intervention for reducing stress. Yet its effectiveness may be contingent upon the level of psychological flexibility which may induce a more receptive psychological state for benefiting from gratitude practices. Consequently, this study investigated whether psychological flexibility (PF) moderates the relationship between gratitude journaling (GJ) and perceived stress (PS) using an Ecological Momentary Assessment approach. Assigned to either a gratitude journaling or digital diary condition for 10 days, participants (N = 76) completed twice daily assessments measuring PF and PS including a gratitude journaling task for respective condition. A linear mixed-effects model showed that GJ alone did not significantly reduce stress compared to the digital diary condition. However, higher PF was a strong predictor of lower PS independent from the condition. Additionally, a significant interaction showed that GJ was more beneficial for reducing PS for individuals with high PF. These findings suggest that PF can amplify the effectiveness of gratitude interventions, emphasizing the need for personalized stress management approaches. Future research should explore interventions that integrate PF training to maximize the benefits of gratitude-based exercises and help students and young professionals to manage daily stress.