Effects of Gratitude Journaling on Patients with Breast Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial

TL;DR

Writing in a gratitude journal helped breast cancer patients in South Korea feel more positive and resilient, improving their emotional well-being.

Contribution

This study is the first to show the benefits of gratitude journaling for breast cancer patients in South Korea.

Findings

Patients who kept gratitude journals reported higher gratitude and resilience.

Journaling improved quality of life in breast cancer patients.

The intervention was simple and low-cost, suggesting it could be used in hospitals.

Abstract

Gratitude journaling means regularly writing down things you are thankful for. It is known to improve mood and emotional health. This study looked at whether keeping a gratitude journal could help breast cancer patients in South Korea feel more positive and better cope with their illness. In a randomized controlled trial, sixty patients at a university hospital were divided into two groups. One group wrote in a gratitude journal for three weeks, while the other group did not. The group who wrote journals felt more thankful, showed stronger resilience, and had a better quality of life than those who did not. This means that writing about gratitude may be a simple and helpful way to support the emotional well-being of people facing cancer. It could be used as an easy, low-cost tool in hospitals to help patients feel stronger and more hopeful.

Gratitude journaling is a simple and effective way to improve emotional well-being. However, its impact on people with breast cancer in South Korea has not been clearly understood. This study explored how writing a gratitude journal can help patients with breast cancer feel more grateful, resilient, and satisfied with life. Sixty patients from a university hospital in Jeollanam-do were randomly assigned to either a gratitude journaling group or a control group. The journaling group received guidance and wrote at least ten journal entries over three weeks, with weekly phone check-ins. The control group received no intervention. Before and after the program, the participants completed surveys. The results showed that those who kept gratitude journals had higher levels of gratitude, resilience, and quality of life than those who did not. These findings suggest that gratitude journaling can be a valuable and easy-to-use nursing strategy to support the emotional health of breast cancer patients.

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