Attitude of Gratitude: Exploring the Implementation of a Gratitude Intervention with College Athletes

Abstract

This study explored the implementation of a 90-min Attitude of Gratitude workshop among 51 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I student-athletes. Levels of state gratitude, psychological distress, life satisfaction, sport satisfaction, athlete burnout, and perceived available support in sport were measured the week before, immediately after, and 4 weeks postintervention. Significant increases in well-being (state gratitude, sport satisfaction, social support) and significant decreases in ill-being (psychological distress, athlete burnout) were observed postintervention. Results of this pilot study warrant further exploration of gratitude interventions in applied sport psychology. Limitations, practical implications, and recommendations for future research are discussed in light of the current findings.

Lay Summary: Fifty-one NCAA Division I athletes participated in a one-time “Attitude of Gratitude” workshop. Following the workshop, student-athletes scored higher on measures of well-being and lower on measures of ill-being as compared to their baseline scores. Results encourage further exploration of positive psychology interventions such as gratitude in the sport context.