۱- Introduction

۲- Methods

۳- Results

۴- Discussion

References

Abstract

Even though there is a great deal of research showing that being grateful plays an important role in maintaining one’s quality of life and well-being, the mechanisms of this relationship remain unclear. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate the role of perceived stress and mental health in the relationship between dispositional gratitude and quality of life, both uniquely and in-sequence (a serial two-mediator model: gratitude-stress-mental health-quality of life mediation model). Three-hundred and fifteen male Iranian soldiers completed the Gratitude Questionnaire, the WHO Quality of Life Assessment, the General Health Questionnaire, and the Perceived Stress Scale. The data were analyzed by Structural Equation Modeling using the maximum likelihood estimation and Bootstrap estimation method (k = 10,000). The results indicated that perceived stress and mental health, together and uniquely, partially mediated the relationship between dispositional gratitude and quality of life. Perceived stress also mediated the relationship between gratitude and mental health. Moreover, the serial two-mediator model which was used to examine the relationship between gratitude and quality of life through perceived stress and mental health, in sequence, was supported. It can be concluded that gratitude not only has direct effects on quality of life, but also has indirect effects through perceived stress and mental health.

Gratitude and its outcomes

Gratitude can be defined as a habitual focusing on and appreciating the positive aspects of life (Van Dusen, Tiamiyu, Kashdan, & Elhai, 2015; Wood, Froh, & Geraghty, 2010). Gratitude is considered a positive psychological trait, being an orientation towards the positive aspects in the world (Wood, Maltby, Gillett, Linley, & Joseph, 2008). Conceptually, gratitude should be expected to lead to improved well-being (Wood, Joseph, & Maltby, 2008). In the last two decades, a large body of evidence has found that gratitude is negatively associated with general anxiety (McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, 2002), depression (Lin, 2015; Tulbure, 2015), negative affect (Eaton, Bradley, & Morrissey, 2014), high-risk behaviors (Ma, Kibler, & Sly, 2013), suicide ideation (Stockton, Tucker, Kleiman, & Wingate, 2016), PTSD symptoms (Van Dusen et al., 2015), and neuroticism personality (Wood, Joseph, & Maltby, 2008), and gratitude positively related to well-being, including better physical health (Hill, Allemand, & Roberts, 2013), life satisfaction (Chen, Wu, & Chang, 2017; Szcześniak & Soares, 2011), positive affect (Eaton et al., 2014), hope and personal growth (Loo, Tsai, Raylu, & Oei, 2014), forgiveness (Eaton et al., 2014), self-esteem (Lin, 2015), quality of sleep (Wood, Joseph, Lloyd, & Atkins, 2009), self-efficacy (Mills et al., 2015), vitality and subjective happiness (McCullough et al., 2002), and subjective well-being and psychological well-being (Bhullar, Surman, & Schutte, 2015; Lin, 2016). Healthy adaptive responses and reactions to life in general, and to difficult challenging situations in particular, can lead to peace of mind, happiness, general health, and satisfactory relationships (Emmons & Shelton, 2002). Individuals with more gratitude express being more satisfied with their life and having greater potential to experience positive emotions (McCullough, Tsang, & Emmons, 2004). They also feel much more hopeful about their future, which in turn can lead to better heath (Krause, Emmons, & Ironson, 2015).