The Relationship Between Trait Gratitude and Psychological Wellbeing in University Students: The Mediating Role of Affective State and the Moderating Role of State Gratitude

Abstract

Gratitude is a positive psychological characteristic that is connected to wellbeing. This study aims to examine the relation between trait gratitude and psychological wellbeing (PWB), as well as the mediational role of the affective state in the relationship between these concepts. Moreover, we also investigated whether state gratitude moderates the relation between trait gratitude, affective state, and PWB. Participants were 135 undergraduate students who completed a battery of assessments as part of a standard protocol. A gratitude state induction, based on a brief intervention, was also used. Results showed that all the dimensions of trait gratitude were positively associated with the dimensions of psychological wellbeing. Moreover, the relations between the dimensions of trait gratitude, on the one hand, and psychological wellbeing, on the other hand, were mediated by affective state. State gratitude was not a significant moderator for the relations between trait gratitude and PWB. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

How gratitude inhibits envy: From the perspective of positive psychology

“…Firstly, this study found that state gratitude inhibits situational envy, which proved H1. This result is basically consistent with previous studies; that is, gratitude is negatively correlated with negative emotions (Măirean, Turliuc, & Arghire, 2019; Watkins et al, 2003; Wood, Maltby, Gillett, et al, 2008). Meanwhile, there is also a significant negative correlation between gratitude and envy (McCullough et al, 2002, 2004; Solom et al, 2017), and gratitude can also affect envy (Xiang et al, 2018).…”

Individual Differences Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Age, Gender, Personality, and Positive Psychology

“…Specifically, the results reveal that all four subscales of gratitude were positively associated with positive affect and inversely associated with negative affect, indicating that people who are more grateful, both to other people and to transcendental forces, experience a better affective experience. This result is consistent with previous studies in which gratitude was related to various dimensions of well-being, conducted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., Burke et al, 2020 ; Jiang, 2020 ), in other historical times of adversity (e.g., Coffman, 1996 ; Peterson and Seligman, 2003 ), and also in normative historical times (e.g., Mairean et al, 2019 ). However, the four subscales of gratitude were not related to FC.…”

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“…According to Loi and Ng (2021), fostering a grateful mindset could enhance well-being. Gratitude influences several positive changes in the emotional state, hence boosting the levels of psychological well-being of the person (Măirean, Turliuc, & Arghire, 2019). Gratitude also contributes to well-being by increasing the retrieval of positive memories or experiences of the individuals (Sheldon, Kashdan, & Steger, 2010).…”