From Cognitive Distortions to Thriving at Work: A Moderated Mediation Model of Rumination and Gratitude


Volume 12, Issue 1
Prof. Dr. Seçil Ta¸stan

Published online: 06 August 2026
Article Views: 20
 
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This study investigates how cognitive distortions influence employees’ thriving at work, testing the mediating role of rumination and the moderating role of gratitude. Integrating Cognitive Behavioral Theory, Conservation of Resources Theory, and Broaden-and-Build Theory, it proposes a moderated mediation model explaining how maladaptive thinking patterns shape employee well-being and thriving in the workplace. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 365 employees across various industries in Türkiye. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling in AMOS. Confirmatory factor analysis assessed the reliability and validity of the measurement model, while bootstrapping procedures using Hayes’ PROCESS Macro tested the hypothesized mediation and moderation effects. As a result, cognitive distortions had a significant negative effect on thriving at work. Rumination partially mediated this relationship, indicating that repetitive maladaptive thinking is an important mechanism linking distorted cognitions to lower vitality and learning. Gratitude moderated the relationship between rumination and thriving, weakening rumination’s detrimental effect among employees reporting higher gratitude. The findings are relevant to organizational behavior, human resource management, and occupational psychology. Organizations can apply these insights by designing cognitive-behavioral interventions, mindfulness training, reflective self-regulation practices, and gratitude-based recognition programs to reduce maladaptive thinking and sustain employee well-being, particularly in emerging-economy workplaces where organizational and financial pressures are pronounced. Regarding the originality and value of the study, it introduces cognitive distortions as a novel cognitive antecedent of thriving at work, identifies rumination as the psychological mechanism linking distorted cognitions to reduced thriving, and establishes gratitude as a personal resource that buffers rumination’s negative effects, integrating cognitive and positive psychological perspectives within a single moderated mediation framework.

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Tastan, S. (2026). From Cognitive Distortions to Thriving at Work: A Moderated Mediation Model of Rumination and Gratitude. International Journal of Business and Administrative Studies, 12(1), 11-27. https://dx.doi.org/10.20469/ijbas.12.10002-1