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Mediating effects of peace of mind and rumination on the relationship between gratitude and depression among Chinese university students

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Hongyu Liang at South China Normal University
Hongyu Liang
Chen Chen
Chen Chen
Chen Chen
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Fang Li
Fang Li
Fang Li
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Shuman Wu at South China Normal University
Shuman Wu
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Although previous researchers have investigated the relationship between gratitude and depression, few studies have explored the possible mediating variables behind this association. This research aimed to examine whether peace of mind and rumination would have a mediating effect on the relationship between gratitude and depression. A sample of five hundred and one Chinese university students completed measures of gratitude, depression, peace of mind and rumination. Correlation analysis showed that gratitude, depression, peace of mind, and rumination were interrelated. Structural equation modeling showed that peace of mind and rumination fully-mediated the relationship between gratitude and depression for this sample. Multi-group analysis found that the mediational model did not differ by gender. Results of present study suggested that gratitude may not only have a negative influence on depression, but may also counteract the symptoms of depression by enhancing a state of peace of mind and reducing ruminative thinking.
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Mediating effects of peace of mind and rumination on the relationship
between gratitude and depression among Chinese university students
Hongyu Liang
1
&Chen Chen
2,3
&Fang Li
4
&Shuman Wu
1
&Lixin Wang
1
&Xue Zheng
1
&Benjun Zeng
5
#Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract
Although previous researchers have investigated the relationship between gratitude and depression, few studies have
explored the possible mediating variables behind this association. This research aimed to examine whether peace of mind
and rumination would have a mediating effect on the relationship between gratitude and depression. A sample of five
hundred and one Chinese university students completed measures of gratitude, depression, peace of mind and rumination.
Correlation analysis showed that gratitude, depression, peace of mind, and rumination were interrelated. Structural equa-
tion modeling showed that peace of mind and rumination fully-mediated the relationship between gratitude and depression
for this sample. Multi-group analysis found that the mediational model did not differ by gender. Results of present study
suggested that gratitude may not only have a negative influence on depression, but may also counteract the symptoms of
depression by enhancing a state of peace of mind and reducing ruminative thinking.
Keywords Gratitude .Peace of mind .Rumination .Depression
Introduction
Depression poses a serious threat to mental health. One study
analyzed 24 studies on depression prevalence from 1990 to
2010 in more than 30 countries worldwide and found that the
prevalence was 30.6% among university students (Ibrahim
et al. 2013). A web-based survey revealed that 13.8% of un-
dergraduates and 11.3% of graduate students in a large public
US university had major or other depressive disorders
(Eisenberg et al. 2007). Recently, a meta-analysis of 32,684
university students between 1997 and 2015 revealed an over-
all depression prevalence of 23.8% in China (Lei et al. 2016).
Therefore, the burden of depression among young adults has
emerged as an important and universal health concern.
Although a range of symptoms characterize depression, the
important maintenance mechanism of depression is a lack of
enjoyment of activities (Watkins 2014). Thus, some re-
searchers have suggested that treatment for depression should
emphasize the unique effect of positive emotions (Lin 2015;
Watk i n s 2014). Gratitude is a positive emotion, and different
studies have found that trait gratitude is negatively related to
depression symptoms (Lin 2015; Lambert et al. 2012; Wood
et al. 2010;Woodetal.2008b). However, few studies have
addressed the mediating mechanisms behind this association,
especially among young adults. The primary purpose of our
study is to explore the mediating role of peace of mind (PoM)
and rumination in the relationship between gratitude and de-
pression among Chinese university students.
The Direct Path: Gratitude and Depression
Gratitude, as an affective trait, refers to the generalized
tendency to recognize and respond with grateful emotion
to the positive aspects of life (Liang et al. 2015;Woodetal.
2010). Watkins (2014) proposed that gratitude can amplify
the good in an individual’s life. More specifically, accord-
ing to his amplification theory, gratitude can function by
improving one’s awareness and allow one to perceive more
*Xue Zheng
zhengxuepi@126.com
1
School of Psychology, South China Normal University, No. 55
Zhongshan Avenue West, Tianhe District,
Guangzhou 510631, Guangdong Province, China
2
Hohhot No. 12 High School, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
3
School of Mathematical Sciences, Inner Mongolia Normal
University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
4
College of Teacher Education and Psychology, Sichuan Normal
University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
5
Tianhe College Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University,
Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-9847-1
Current Psychology (2020) 39:1430–1437
Published online: 14 April 2018
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
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... The Cronbach's coefficient of the SDS in this study is 0.844. mind (Liang et al., 2018), and heart rate variability (Carnevali et al., 2017). When considering cognitive components, previous research has found that individuals with low inhibitory capacity are more prone to getting trapped in a vortex of repetitive negative thinking from which they cannot escape (Ganor et al., 2023), leading to a significant increase in depressive symptoms in this maladaptive process (Dekker & Johnson, 2018;Joormann et al., 2007). ...
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