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NCT Number: NCT07588451

Effectiveness of a Brief Gratitude Writing Intervention on State Optimism, State Gratitude, and Psychological Distress

The goal of the study is to investigate the effectiveness of brief writing interventions on state optimism, state gratitude and psychological distress among female university students. There are three groups; gratitude writing group where participants are required to write about the things they are grateful for, expressive writing group where participants are required to write about their deepest feelings and thoughts from last week and a control group where participants just write about the tasks they completed in the past week.

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Key information

Conditions

Psychological Distress

Age range

18 year–25 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Kinnaird College For Women University

Lahore, Punjab Province, 54000, Pakistan

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Female undergraduate students
  • Students scoring mild to moderate distress on Kessler Psychological Distress scale

Exclusion criteria

  • Female university students enrolled in psychology programs
  • Students with physical disability
  • Students who are already in therapy

Treatment and study plan

Gratitude Writing Intervention

Other

Participants write the things they are grateful and thankful in their life for. It could be anything they want to write about for a period of 10 mins. They can write it in the language of their own choice and in what ever format they prefer.

expressive writing

Other

Participants write about their deepest feelings and thoughts from the past week. They are given 10 mins to write. They can write in language of their own choice and in any format they prefer.

Neutral Writing

Other

Participants are asked to write about the tasks they have completed in the past week in 10 mins. They can write in the language of their choice and in any format they prefer

Primary outcomes

  1. State Optimism measured by State Optimism Measure

    Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately after the intervention

    Change in state optimism assessed using the State Optimism Measure. Higher scores indicate greater levels of state optimism.

Secondary outcomes

  1. State gratitude measured by the Gratitude Adjective Checklist

    Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately after the intervention

    Change in state gratitude assessed using the Gratitude Adjective Checklist. Higher scores indicate greater levels of state gratitude.

  2. Psychological distress measured by the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)

    Time frame: Baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately after the intervention

    Change in psychological distress assessed using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Total scores range from 10 to 50, with higher scores indicating greater psychological distress.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Kainat Safdar

CONTACT

[email protected]

+923164684767

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Kinnaird College for Women

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effectiveness of a Brief Gratitude Writing Intervention on State Optimism, State Gratitude, and Psychological Distress Among Female University Students

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
May 14, 2026
Registry last updated
May 14, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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