Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Scott Huebner

Abstract

Dispositional gratitude is a construct associated with numerous benefits in youth. However, existing research has primarily focused on the outcomes of gratitude, with limited exploration of the underlying factors that may contribute to individual differences in its development. Because gratitude is considered malleable, identifying key factors associated with its growth in youth is essential. The present study aims to address this gap by exploring perceived social support as a presumed antecedent of dispositional gratitude in older adolescents. Cross-sectional, self-report data and structural equation modeling were used to assess the relationship of perceived social support with gratitude levels among high school students. Recognizing the multidimensional nature of social support, the study investigated specific sources (i.e., caregivers, teachers, and classmates), specific types (i.e., emotional, informational, appraisal, and instrumental), and their intersections. Findings revealed that all sources and types of social support contributed significantly to individual differences in gratitude, with emotional support from caregivers emerging as the form of support that explained the most variance in adolescents’ grateful dispositions. Additionally, sex moderated these relationships, highlighting distinct patterns in how males and females perceive and benefit from social support in relation to gratitude. These findings emphasize the significant link of social support to the grateful dispositions of older adolescents. Future longitudinal research should investigate additional antecedents of gratitude to refine theoretical models and inform targeted interventions to effectively cultivate and enhance gratitude in youth.

Rights

© 2025, Mimi Webb Kurtz

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