Post‐election Gratitude Mediates the Association of Satisfaction With Election Results on Psychological Health: The 2023 Polish Parliamentary Election
Post‐election Gratitude Mediates the Association of Satisfaction With Election Results on Psychological Health: The 2023 Polish Parliamentary Election
StatusVoR
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Authors
Baran, Maria
Baran, Tomasz
Kaniasty, Krzysztof
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Date
2025-08-03
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Journal of Applied Social Psychology
Issue
8
Volume
55
Pages
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588-599
ISSN
0021-9029
1559-1816
1559-1816
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2025-08-03
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Abstract EN
This study examined the role of gratitude as a mediator in the relationship between satisfaction with election results and psychological health following the 2023 Polish parliamentary election—a period marked by intense political polarization. By distinguishing between dispositional gratitude and domain-specific gratitude related to political events, we hypothesized that post-election gratitude would be associated with psychological distress, irritability, and positive affect. Using a longitudinal design, data were collected from 1,391 participants across two waves: within 7 days before the election and 2 weeks after it. Findings revealed that satisfaction with the election results was significantly associated with higher irritability and lower positive affect, but not with psychological distress. Higher levels of post-election gratitude were linked with reduced psychological distress and irritability, as well as enhanced positive affect—independent of dispositional gratitude and pre-election negative affect. Furthermore, post-election gratitude mediated the relationship between satisfaction with electoral outcomes and both irritability and positive affect. Although satisfaction with the election results was not directly related to psychological distress, it was still indirectly associated with it via post-election gratitude. These findings suggest that post-election gratitude may be relevant to individuals' negative emotional responses in politically divisive contexts. They also offer a promising foundation for future research on gratitude-based interventions aiming at fostering individual and societal resilience in times of sociopolitical tension.
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Keywords PL
Keywords EN
gratitude
political elections
psychological distress
well‐being
political elections
psychological distress
well‐being
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