Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41668128›Full record

Trial reportBMC psychology2026

The efficacy of three types of gratitude interventions for promoting defending behavior in response to school bullying among Chinese early adolescents.

Haiyan Sun, Wei Cui, Yuan Chang, Xiaoran Li, Xiaojing Liu, Kaihua Zhang, Guanghui Chen, Wenxin Zhang

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Haiyan SunFaculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, NO. 88 East Wenhua Road, Jinan, Shandong Province, 250014, China.
Wei CuiFaculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, NO. 88 East Wenhua Road, Jinan, Shandong Province, 250014, China.
Yuan ChangFaculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, NO. 88 East Wenhua Road, Jinan, Shandong Province, 250014, China.
Xiaoran LiFaculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, NO. 88 East Wenhua Road, Jinan, Shandong Province, 250014, China.
Xiaojing LiuFaculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, NO. 88 East Wenhua Road, Jinan, Shandong Province, 250014, China.
Kaihua ZhangFaculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, NO. 88 East Wenhua Road, Jinan, Shandong Province, 250014, China.
Guanghui ChenFaculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, NO. 88 East Wenhua Road, Jinan, Shandong Province, 250014, China. chengh2100@sdnu.edu.cn.
Wenxin ZhangFaculty of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, NO. 88 East Wenhua Road, Jinan, Shandong Province, 250014, China.

Funding

the National Social Science Fund Project 25BSH097
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThis study aimed to examine the association between gratitude and defending behavior in response to school bullying among Chinese early adolescents and to evaluate the effects of three types of interventions (i.e., gratitude curriculum, gratitude journal, and gratitude visits) on gratitude and defending behavior.

methodsTwo studies were conducted. Study 1 employed a cross-sectional survey involving 912 seventh- and eighth-grade students from two schools (52.41% girls, 53.62% seventh-grade students, 12–18-year-olds). Study 2 involved the development of a gratitude curriculum and employed a four-armed randomized controlled trial with 16 classes, in which adolescents were randomly assigned to a gratitude curriculum intervention, a gratitude journal intervention, a gratitude visit intervention, or a control condition.

resultsThe results indicated that gratitude was positively associated with defending behavior in school bullying. In addition, both the gratitude curriculum and the gratitude journal significantly increased adolescents’ gratitude from pre- to postintervention and resulted in higher postintervention levels than the control group, whereas gratitude visits did not significantly enhance gratitude. Similarly, the gratitude curriculum and the gratitude journal significantly improved defending behavior both from pre- to postintervention and relative to the control group, whereas gratitude visits led to significant improvements in defending behavior only from pre- to postintervention. Furthermore, no significant postintervention differences in gratitude or defending behavior were observed among the three intervention groups.

conclusionsThis study provides evidence that gratitude is associated with defending behavior in school bullying contexts, highlighting its potential relevance for school-based anti-bullying interventions.

Indexed as

Adolescent BehaviorBullyingStudentsAdolescentChildChinaCross-Sectional StudiesEast Asian PeopleFemaleHumansMaleSchoolsDefending behaviorEarly adolescentsGratitudeInterventionsSchool bullying

Identifiers

PMID41668128
PMCPMC13107806

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.