HealthyNCT07061483
The Impact of Gratitude Journaling in the Classroom
A study testing Experimental (Gratitude Journaling) in people with Healthy, run by Michael Rhoads at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The objective of this study is to explore the potential benefit of gratitude journaling for students in grades 6-12 and their teachers. Specifically, the investigators seek to determine if the process of gratitude journaling decreases stress, student absenteeism, and teacher burnout, while increasing gratitude… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 9 to 18 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Healthy
- What is being tested?
- Experimental (Gratitude Journaling)
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 234 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 12 Aug 2024to 13 Dec 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 9 to 18 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult
Who may be able to join
- To be included in this study, individuals must be a student from a school district in the rocky mountain region.
Who cannot join
- A participant would no longer be eligible for participation if their status as a student ends. Scenarios include incarceration, illegal behavior, or mental illness that requires absence or discontinued school attendance.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Colorado Mesa University
Grand Junction, Colorado, 81501
About this study
Official title: Exploring the Impact of Gratitude Journaling for Elementary and Middle School Students
The objective of this study is to explore the potential benefit of gratitude journaling for students in grades 6-12 and their teachers. Specifically, the investigators seek to determine if the process of gratitude journaling decreases stress, student absenteeism, and teacher burnout, while increasing gratitude, optimism, and a sense of belonging.
Read the detailed description
Does gratitude journaling decrease perceived stress in students? Does gratitude journaling reduce absenteeism in student class attendance? Does gratitude journaling increase gratitude in participants? Does gratitude journaling increase optimism in participants? Does gratitude journaling increase a sense of belonging in students? And finally, does gratitude journaling decrease teacher burnout? The investigators hypothesize the gratitude journaling process will decrease stress, student absenteeism, and teacher burnout, while increasing gratitude, optimism, and a sense of belonging in participants.
This study will utilize a pre-test post-test correlational study design. As a preliminary pilot study, the investigators seek to determine the potential benefits of gratitude journaling. For this study, Lynnie Gandola is a community partner. The journals were created by Lynnie. The journals she created were supplied to the schools "at cost" with a grant from the School of Life Foundation (schooloflifefoundation.org) as an initiative that principals in the district chose to implement this semester. These journals will be distributed to students regardless of whether or not the pre-test post-test surveys are administered. The investigators are looking to collect data from a journaling exercise that is already taking place. A letter of support from Lynnie Gandola is attached, stating that she approves the assessment of the effectiveness of the gratitude journals. Additionally, this study will use archival class attendance data. This information will be provided as aggregate data from the school districts, with all student information deidentified. For data collection with teachers, a non-randomized control group will also be utilized to compare burnout scores between teacher who did and did not participate in the gratitude journaling.
- Conditions
- Healthy
- Being tested
- Experimental (Gratitude Journaling), Control (journaling without gratitude)
- Keywords
- Gratitude Journaling, Stress, Belonging, Optimism, Gratitude
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Experimental (Gratitude Journaling)Behavioural
60-Day Gratitude Journaling With Guided Prompts
Control (journaling without gratitude)Behavioural
60-Day Journaling Without a Gratitude Focus
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control (journaling without gratitude) | Placebo comparator | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Control (journaling without gratitude) |
| Experimental (gratitude journaling) | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Experimental (Gratitude Journaling) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Stress
Perceived Stress Scale. The scale has a range of scores from 0-40 with high scores indicating high stress (low scores are better outcomes).
Measured: From enrollment to 60-day post-test
Secondary outcomes (3)
Gratitude
Gratitude Questionnaire-6. The scale has a range of scores from 6-42 with high scores indicating high gratitude (high scores are better outcomes).
Measured: From enrollment to 60-day post-test
Optimism
Life Orientation Test. The scale has a range of scores from 0-24 with high scores indicating high levels of optimism (high scores are better outcomes).
Measured: From enrollment to 60-day post-test
Belonging
General Belongingness Scale. The scale has a range of scores from 12-84 with high scores indicating high belonging (higher scores are better outcomes).
Measured: From enrollment to 60-day post-test
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted11 Jul 2025
- Study start12 Aug 2024
- Primary completion13 Dec 2024
- Study completion13 Dec 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for HealthyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- This study employs a randomized control trial. However, one subgroup of participants were not randomized and only received the treatment condition (gratitude journaling).
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 234 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Michael Rhoads
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Michael Rhoads, Colorado Mesa University
- Investigators
- Michael Rhoads, PhD, Principal investigator, Colorado Mesa University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07061483
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- ColoradoMesa
- Status last verified
- Jul 2025
- First submitted
- 2 Jul 2025
- Last updated
- 15 Jul 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: The anonymized data set will be uploaded to the OSF data repository.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 Jul 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Exploring the Impact of Gratitude Journaling for Elementary and Middle School Students
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07061483
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- ColoradoMesa
- Conditions
- Healthy
- Keywords
- Gratitude Journaling, Stress, Belonging, Optimism, Gratitude
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 234 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Michael RhoadsUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 12 Aug 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 13 Dec 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 13 Dec 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 11 Jul 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The objective of this study is to explore the potential benefit of gratitude journaling for students in grades 6-12 and their teachers. Specifically, the investigators seek to determine if the process of gratitude journaling decreases stress, student absenteeism, and teacher burnout, while increasing gratitude, optimism, and a sense of belonging.
Detailed description
Does gratitude journaling decrease perceived stress in students? Does gratitude journaling reduce absenteeism in student class attendance? Does gratitude journaling increase gratitude in participants? Does gratitude journaling increase optimism in participants? Does gratitude journaling increase a sense of belonging in students? And finally, does gratitude journaling decrease teacher burnout? The investigators hypothesize the gratitude journaling process will decrease stress, student absenteeism, and teacher burnout, while increasing gratitude, optimism, and a sense of belonging in participants.
This study will utilize a pre-test post-test correlational study design. As a preliminary pilot study, the investigators seek to determine the potential benefits of gratitude journaling. For this study, Lynnie Gandola is a community partner. The journals were created by Lynnie. The journals she created were supplied to the schools "at cost" with a grant from the School of Life Foundation (schooloflifefoundation.org) as an initiative that principals in the district chose to implement this semester. These journals will be distributed to students regardless of whether or not the pre-test post-test surveys are administered. The investigators are looking to collect data from a journaling exercise that is already taking place. A letter of support from Lynnie Gandola is attached, stating that she approves the assessment of the effectiveness of the gratitude journals. Additionally, this study will use archival class attendance data. This information will be provided as aggregate data from the school districts, with all student information deidentified. For data collection with teachers, a non-randomized control group will also be utilized to compare burnout scores between teacher who did and did not participate in the gratitude journaling.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- This study employs a randomized control trial. However, one subgroup of participants were not randomized and only received the treatment condition (gratitude journaling).
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control (journaling without gratitude) | Placebo comparator | Behavioral: Control (journaling without gratitude) |
| Experimental (gratitude journaling) | Experimental | Behavioral: Experimental (Gratitude Journaling) |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 9 to 18 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- To be included in this study, individuals must be a student from a school district in the rocky mountain region.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- A participant would no longer be eligible for participation if their status as a student ends. Scenarios include incarceration, illegal behavior, or mental illness that requires absence or discontinued school attendance.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Experimental (Gratitude Journaling)60-Day Gratitude Journaling With Guided Prompts | Behavioural | Experimental (gratitude journaling) |
| Control (journaling without gratitude)60-Day Journaling Without a Gratitude Focus | Behavioural | Control (journaling without gratitude) |
Primary outcome
Stress
Time frame: From enrollment to 60-day post-test
Perceived Stress Scale. The scale has a range of scores from 0-40 with high scores indicating high stress (low scores are better outcomes).
3 secondary outcomes
Gratitude
Time frame: From enrollment to 60-day post-test
Optimism
Time frame: From enrollment to 60-day post-test
Belonging
Time frame: From enrollment to 60-day post-test
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 Jul 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. The anonymized data set will be uploaded to the OSF data repository.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Michael Rhoads, PhD principal investigator
Colorado Mesa University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Experimental (Gratitude Journaling) in people with Healthy, run by Michael Rhoads at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Jul 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Stress (time frame: From enrollment to 60-day post-test). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 Jul 2025.