Gratitude programs may help with mental health, study finds
Gratitude and support from family and healthcare staff can help people with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) feel more positive, stay motivated, and plan their lives better, a study found.
Programs that focus on gratitude could help patients improve their mental health and help them cope with their disease more effectively, according to the researchers, who explored how young and middle-aged patients experienced gratitude while hospitalized. The goal was to help medical professionals design programs to support mental health using gratitude-based programs.
The study, “Gratitude Experience in Ten Patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy: A Qualitative Study,” was published in Psychology Research and Behavior Management.
SMA is a rare, genetic disease that weakens muscles and affects movement, often requiring lifelong care. With treatments like Spinraza (nusinersen) helping slow progressive muscle weakness, many patients are now able to reflect on their experiences during hospital stay
The study involved 10 patients who were receiving treatment with Spinraza at the First Hospital of Jilin University in China. Four main themes emerged from the stories patients told during semi-structured interviews: Patients said gratitude made them feel more positive, boosted their motivation to face life’s difficulties, helped them appreciate the people who supported them, and made them more resilient.
Focusing on the good
Patients said gratitude allowed them to focus on good moments despite challenges. “In fact, my family has been really happy for so many years because my parents have never talked about divorce because of the disease I have,” one patient said.
“There are so many joyful things, and every day is a happy day, in general,” said another.
Patients also said they were grateful to those who cared for them. “I feel that many parents with normal children are not as good as my parents, and I am very glad to have them as my parents,” one participant said.
Gratitude boosted patients’ motivation to face their challenges and appreciate small victories, the researchers found. “I am also trying to shorten the recovery time as much as possible; that is, to reduce the overall recovery time,” one patient said. “I hope that the total time is shorter and the recovery is faster.”
Patients said the strong social support patients they received from family, healthcare staff, and social workers made them feel valued and cared for. “Doctors and nurses are really enthusiastic, careful and patient with us,” said one. “In fact, the most touching thing about this is that I can take the medicine without having to go far because of the effort of Dr. Yu’s team; otherwise, I have to go to Beijing for the medication.”
Spinraza is covered by medical insurance in China, so patients also noted the low costs of treatment.
Gratitude inspired patients to plan and restructure their lives, giving them hope and a sense of purpose for the future.
“The short-term plan is to study and pass the examinations for certificates,” one patient said. “First of all, I hope I pass the examinations next month. A long-term plan is to realise my value. Because of this disease, I can easily understand the patients’ desire for health. I will do my best to help others and realise my expectations.”
The patients’ comments highlighted the potential of gratitude to strengthen mental health, the researchers said.
“Patients with SMA have gratitude experience and their own perception of life,” the researchers wrote. “Strengthened feelings of gratitude could be helpful to the psychological resilience of patients, influencing them to view life gratefully and helping them actively plan all aspects of their lives, from daily living to social re-integration.”
Healthcare professionals “should focus their attention on evaluating the gratitude level of patients during hospitalisation and develop individual, professional, comprehensive and feasible gratitude intervention plans for young and middle-aged patients based on their special characteristics,” the researchers concluded. “These should include, for example, encouraging patients to express gratitude to their families orally or by letter, recalling past gratitude events by listing a gratitude list, writing a diary of gratitude and promptly recording emotional experiences when gratitude is triggered.”
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