Electronic Theses and Dissertations
GRATITUDE INTERVENTIONS WITH PHYSICAL THERAPY PATIENTS
Data is provided by the student.
Abstract
Physical injuries and ailments affect many people each year, causing pain, loss of mobility, and decreased functionality in their daily lives. Given that psychological factors affect physical recovery, interventions that can be added to physical therapy to bolster psychological resilience could substantially enhance positive health outcomes for patients. Gratitude interventions have been shown to increase a variety of positive health outcomes. The study explored whether providing gratitude interventions to physical therapy patients would increase positive physical functioning addressed in physical therapy as well as overall life satisfaction and gratitude in comparison to a control group of patients receiving physical therapy as usual. Three one-way ANOVAs revealed no significant differences between the two groups on physical functioning, satisfaction with life, or gratitude scores. However, the study was limited by a small sample size, which makes it difficult to draw conclusions about the efficacy of the intervention. Limitations of the study, implications, and future research directions are provided.