Efficacy of gratitude and forgiveness as positive psychological intervention in reducing depression

Pages: 61-65
Shallu and Promila Batra (Department of Psychology, Maharishi Dayanad University, Rohtak, Haryana)

Depression has affected millions of people worldwide in their lifetime. Along with pharmacotherapy there is a need to identify psychotherapies which provide some value addition to the current treatment process. One of the various psychotherapies is based on principles of positive psychology. The role of Positive psychology interventions (PPI) as a treatment modality is not yet very clear. Current study served to test the effectiveness of gratitude and forgiveness as PPI in patients with depression. 30 patients suffering from mild to moderate depression were included in current study. A 7 session therapy module was designed including forgiveness and gratitude exercises. Gratitude interventions included daily gratitude journal, 5 things he/she is grateful for, thank you letter and grateful prompts. For forgiveness intervention REACH model was taken in sessions. Depression was measured with Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Other factors such as life orientation, satisfaction with life, quality of life, global improvement and therapeutic responses were also measured. Results indicated that there was a significant decrease in depressive symptoms with increased quality of life and satisfaction with overall improvement in each domain. PPIs might be used as a therapeutic intervention in mild to moderate depression. Along with depression other factors also improved with long term effects.