Validation of the Gratitude Questionnaire in Filipino Secondary School Students

Validation of the Arabic version of the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-4) in a sample of non-clinical adults

BACKGROUND

Although gratitude is a culturally-sensitive construct, it has yet received limited research attention in Arab countries, hence hindering the understanding of its features, correlates, and cross-cultural specificities. To fill this gap, we sought to examine the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the 6-item Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ) in an Arabic-speaking sample of adults from the general population of Lebanon.

METHOD

We conducted a web-based survey including 601 participants (mean age 29.91 ± 12.61, 62.7% females). The forward-backward translation method was used for the translation and adaptation of the GQ-6 into the Arabic language.

RESULTS

Findings indicated that a four-item version of the GQ achieved adequate fit statistics with the removal of the two reverse-scored third and sixth items. We found a McDonald Omega coefficient for the total 4-item GQ (GQ-4) scores of 0.88, thus attesting for the good reliability of the scale. Multiple-group Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the scale structure was invariant across male and female respondents at the configural, metric, and scalar levels. Females exhibited significantly higher gratitude scores compared to males. Finally, discriminant validity of the Arabic GQ-4 was evidenced through positive significant correlations with social support levels.

CONCLUSION

The Arabic adaptation of the GQ showed good psychometric qualities, suggesting that it is suitable for measuring people's disposition toward gratitude in Arab backgrounds. Offering the Arabic GQ-4 as a brief, simple, cost-effective, valid, and reliable measure of gratitude to the Arabic-speaking community could help raise awareness about gratitude as a key component for achieving good mental health and wellbeing in Arab contexts.

Honoring donors: medical students' reflections on cadaveric dissection

BACKGROUND

Cadaveric dissection is an essential practice for medical students to understand human anatomy and internalize professional attitudes toward death, such as empathy and respect for the deceased. Previous studies have focused on emotional responses such as shock, anxiety, and fear at the start of dissection practice. However, limited research exists on students' reflective thinking and perceptions before practice. This study aims is to understand premedical students' perceptions and attitudes before dissection by analyzing their reflective writing.

METHODS

Text network analysis of essays written in 2022 by 136 s-year premedical students before cadaveric dissection was performed. Keywords were preprocessed to extract significant themes. Centrality analysis and topic modeling were performed to analyze students' perceptions and attitudes.

RESULTS

Centrality analysis identified "cadaveric dissection," "donation," and "gratitude" as major keywords, indicating the students' deep appreciation and respect for donors. Two main topics emerged from topic modeling. The first, "gratitude and respect for donors," included keywords such as "gratitude" and "donation." The second, "growth and responsibility of doctors through medical study and practice," included keywords such as "study" and "medical school."

CONCLUSION

The participants had profound gratitude and respect for donors before cadaveric dissection, which increased their motivation to learn. Analyzing reflective writing is an effective approach to understanding students' initial perceptions and attitudes toward cadaveric dissection; further, it can inform educational strategies that aid students in forming their professional identity.

The influence of gratitude on pre-service teachers’ career goal self-efficacy: Chained intermediary analysis of meaning in life and career calling

Objective

The aim of the study was to explore the relationship among gratitude, meaning in life (MIL), career calling, and career goal self-efficacy (CGSE) of the pre-service teachers in the Free Teacher Education program in China and the internal mechanism of action.

Methods

In this study, gratitude, MIL, career calling, and CGSE questionnaires were used to investigate 801 pre-service teachers. IBM SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 24.0 were used for data processing, and SPSS macro program Model 6 was used for the mediating mechanism.

Results

(1) Gratitude was positively correlated with MIL and career calling. MIL was positively correlated with career calling. Gratitude, MIL, and career calling were significantly and positively associated with CGSE. (2) Gratitude influences pre-service teachers’ CGSE mainly through the independent intermediary of MIL and career calling, and the chain intermediary of MIL→career calling, three indirect effects.

Conclusion

Gratitude indirectly predicts CGSE of pre-service teachers not only through the independent intermediary of MIL and career calling but also through the chain intermediary of MIL and career calling.

Enhanced academic motivation in university students following a 2-week online gratitude journal intervention

Background

Past studies have associated gratitude interventions with a host of positive outcomes. However, there is a dearth of research regarding the impact such interventions have on the academic motivation of university students, thought to be a primary determinant of academic achievement and overall satisfaction with school activities. Here, we examined the effects of a 2-week online gratitude journal intervention on the academic motivation of university students.

Methods

Eighty-four students were randomly assigned to either an active manipulation group (gratitude group) or a neutral control group. In the first 6 days of each week, participants in the gratitude group were asked to log in to the online system once a day and list up to five things they had felt grateful for. They were also requested to evaluate various aspects of their daily lives. Participants in the control group were only requested to perform the daily self-evaluations. Academic motivation was assessed using the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS), which conceptualizes motivation in academic settings as being composed by three different components, i.e., intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and amotivation, the latter being associated with the perceived lack of contingency between actions and outcomes. Responses were collected 5 times: before group assignment (baseline), 1 week after the start of the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and at two follow-ups, 1 and 3 months after the intervention.

Results

Analysis using a self-determination index derived from the AMS components showed that participants who regularly engaged with the gratitude journal task displayed significant enhancements in academic motivation. Additional analysis revealed that the enhancements were driven by decreases in the levels of amotivation. Furthermore, follow-up data showed that there were no signs that such enhancements had receded 3 months after the end of the intervention. Improvements in academic motivation were not observed among participants in the control group.

Conclusions

The current results provide evidence that gratitude interventions can positively impact the academic motivation of university students. More broadly, they show that the effects extend well beyond the realm of typically assessed measures of individual well-being, and can effectively regulate a fundamental component of goal-directed behavior such as motivation.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-021-00559-w.

Assessing the Measurement Invariance of the Gratitude Questionnaire-5 in Chinese and American Adolescents

Given the possibility of cultural differences in the meaning and levels of gratitude among children, we evaluated the measurement invariance of the Gratitude Questionnaire-5 (GQ-5) and differences in latent means across adolescents from two distinct cultures, China and America. Data were obtained from 1,991 Chinese and 1,685 American adolescents. Confirmatory factor analysis and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis were performed to examine the factor structure and the measurement equivalence across Chinese and American adolescents. The Cronbach's alpha and Item-total Correlations of the GQ-5 were also evaluated. Results of confirmatory factor analyses provided support for the expected one-factor structure. Also, a series of multi-group confirmatory factor analyses supported full configural invariance, full metric invariance, and partial scalar invariance between the two groups. Furthermore, the findings suggested that the GQ-5 is suitable for conducting mean level comparisons. The subsequent comparison of latent means revealed that the Chinese adolescents reported significantly lower gratitude than American adolescents.

Measuring Gratitude in Germany: Validation Study of the German Version of the Gratitude Questionnaire-Six Item Form (GQ-6-G) and the Multi-Component Gratitude Measure (MCGM-G)

The Gratitude Questionnaire-Six Item Form (GQ-6; McCullough et al., 2002) is a well-established instrument for measuring gratitude. Recently, the Multi-Component Gratitude Measure (MCGM) was developed as a more holistic approach (Morgan et al., 2017). While the GQ-6 mainly focuses on the emotional component of gratitude, the MCGM encompasses conceptual, attitudinal, and behavioral aspects. As of today, there is no validated German measure for gratitude. In order to close that research gap, the present study focused on validating the German versions of the GQ-6 (GQ-6-G) and of the MCGM (MCGM-G). In addition, multi-group comparisons were conducted to test for cultural measurement invariance. Construct validity was tested similar to original validation studies of the two scales focusing on affect, well-being, empathy, anxiety and depression. The online survey was completed in random order by 508 participants. The one-factor model of the GQ-6-G and the hierarchical structure of the MCGM-G could be replicated. However, the model fit of the Gratitude Questionnaire was significantly better after eliminating one item (GQ-5-G). Multi-group comparisons revealed cultural measurement invariance was established for the GQ-5-G and partial measurement invariance for five of six factors of the MCGM-G, respectively. Reliability analyses revealed good internal consistency for both instruments, and measures for criterion-related and discriminant validity have shown hypothesized relationships. Thus, the GQ-5-G and the MCGM-G are two instruments with good reliability and validity for measuring gratitude in Germany.

The Reciprocal Relationship Between Gratitude and Life Satisfaction: Evidence From Two Longitudinal Field Studies

Gratitude and life satisfaction are associated with several indicators of a good life (e.g., health, pro-social behavior, and relationships). However, how gratitude and life satisfaction relate to each other over time has remained unknown until now. Although a substantial body of research has tested the link from gratitude to life satisfaction, the reverse association remains unexplored. In addition, recent cross-cultural research has questioned the link between gratitude and subjective well-being in non-Western countries, suggesting that the benefits of gratitude may only prevail in Western societies. However, previous cross-cultural studies have only compared western (e.g., American) and eastern (e.g., Asian) cultures, but this simple contrast does not adequately capture the diversity in the world. To guide further theory and practice, we therefore extended previous cross-sectional and experimental studies, by testing the bi-directional longitudinal link between gratitude and life satisfaction in a Latin American context, aiming to establish temporal precedence. We assessed two adult samples from Chile, using three-wave cross-lagged panel designs with 1 month (Study 1, N = 725) and 3 months (Study 2, N = 1,841) between waves. Both studies show, for the first time, that gratitude and life satisfaction mutually predict each other over time. The reciprocal relationships suggest the existence of a virtuous circle of human well-being: higher levels of gratitude increase life satisfaction, which in turn increases gratitude, leading to a positive spiral. Key theoretical and practical implications for the dynamics of human flourishing and field of positive psychology are discussed.

Associations Between Materialism, Gratitude, and Well-Being in Children of Overseas Filipino Workers

Children left behind by parents who are overseas Filipino workers (OFW) benefit from parental migration because their financial status improves. However, OFW families might emphasize the economic benefits to compensate for their separation, which might lead to materialism among children left behind. Previous research indicates that materialism is associated with lower well-being. The theory is that materialism focuses attention on comparing one’s possessions to others, making one constantly dissatisfied and wanting more. Research also suggests that gratitude mediates this link, with the focus on acquiring more possessions that make one less grateful for current possessions. This study explores the links between materialism, gratitude, and well-being among 129 adolescent children of OFWs. The participants completed measures of materialism, gratitude, and well-being (life satisfaction, self-esteem, positive and negative affect). Results showed that gratitude mediated the negative relationship between materialism and well-being (and its positive relationship with negative affect). Children of OFWs who have strong materialist orientation seek well-being from possessions they do not have and might find it difficult to be grateful of their situation, contributing to lower well-being. The findings provide further evidence for the mediated relationship between materialism and well-being in a population that has not been previously studied in the related literature. The findings also point to two possible targets for psychosocial interventions for families and children of OFWs.