Skip to main content

Gratitude and Adolescent Athletes’ Well-Being

Social Indicators Research volume 89, pages 361–373 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Two cross-sectional studies were conducted to examine the relationships between gratitude and athletes’ well-being. Study 1 examines the relationship between dispositional gratitude and well-being, while Study 2 investigates the relationship between sport-domain gratitude and well-being. In Study 1, 169 Taiwanese senior high school athletes (M = 16.43, SD = 0.7 years) were administered the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ; McCullough et al. 2002, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(1), 112–127), Team Satisfaction Scale (Walling et al. 1993, Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 15, 172–183), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener et al. 1985, Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75), and the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ; Raedeke and Smith, 2001, Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 23(4), 281–306). In Study 2, a separate sample of 265 adolescent athletes (M = 16.47 years, SD = 0.7) were administered the modified Sport-domain GQ, Team Satisfaction Scale, and ABQ. Study 1 results showed that dispositional gratitude positively predicts team satisfaction and life satisfaction, and negatively predicts athlete burnout. Findings from Study 2 revealed that sport-domain gratitude positively predicts team satisfaction and negatively predicts athlete burnout. A stronger gratitude and well-being relationship was observed in Study 2. This research provides the initial verification that gratitude and adolescent athletes’ well-being are related. Possible mechanism of this relation, limitations, and practical implications are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  • Arnett, J. J. (1999). Adolescent storm and stress, reconsidered. American Psychologist, 54(5), 317–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, W. J. (2000). If Christ came to the Olympics. Kensington, N.S.W: UNSW Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chelladurai, P., & Riemer, H. A. (1997). A classification of the facets of athlete satisfaction. Journal of Sport Management, 11, 133–159.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, L. H., Tsai, I. M., & Chen, C. C. (2005). The relationships between paternalistic leadership, negative impressing of emotion, dropout intention and group satisfaction. Journal of Physical Education and Sports, 15(2), 205–216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chiu, C., & Yang, C. F. (1987). Chinese subjects’ dilemmas: Humility and cognitive laziness as problem in using rating scale. Bulletin of the Hong Kong Psychology Society, 18, 39–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J., & Cohen, P. (1983). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duda, J. L., & Allision, M. T. (1990). Cross-culture analysis in exercise and sport psychology: A void in the field. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 12, 114–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunn, J. G. H. (1994). Toward the combined use of nomothetic and idiographic methodologies in sport psychology: An empirical example. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 8, 376–392.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunn, J. G. H., Dunn, J. C., Gotwals, J. K., Vallance, J. K. H., Craft, J. M., & Syrotuik, D. G. (2006). Establishing construct validity evidence for the Sport Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 7(1), 57–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2004). The psychology of gratitude. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Froh, J. J., Sefick, W. J., & Emmons, R. A. (in press). Counting blessings in early adolescents: An experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being. Journal of School Psychology.

  • Gagné, M., & Blanchard, C. (2007). Self-determination theory and well-being in athletes. In M. S. Hagger, & N. L. D. Chatzisarantis (Eds.), Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in exercise and sport (pp. 243–254). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giacalone, R. A., Paul, K., & Jurkiewicz, C. L. (2005). A preliminary investigation into the role of positive psychology in consumer sensitivity to corporate social performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 58, 295–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hart, T., Hanks, R., Bogner, J. A., Millis, S., & Esselman, P. (2007). Blame attribution in intentional and unintentional traumatic brain injury: Longitudinal changes and impact on subjective well-being. Rehabilitation Psychology, 52(2), 152–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, K. L. (2001). Frameworks for sport psychologists: Enhancing sport performance. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang, Y. C., & Chi, L. (1994). The relationship of perceived motivational climate and perceived ability to competitive anxiety and team satisfaction in basketball. Physical Education Journal, 18, 321–323.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, S. A., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1999). Flow in sports. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kashdan, T. B., Uswatte, G., & Julian, T. (2006). Gratitude and hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in Vietnam war veterans. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(2), 177–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kee, Y. H., & Wang, C. K. J. (in press). Relationships between mindfulness, flow dispositions and mental skills adoption: A cluster analytic approach. Psychology of Sport and Exercise.

  • Kretchmar, R. S. (2005). Practical philosophy of sport and physical activity (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, C., & Marx, J. (1990). Inside track: My professional life in amateur track and field. New York: Simon and Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, C. H. (2003). The prediction of dispositional goal orientation, perceived motivational climate and perceived ability on intrinsic motivation and satisfaction. Journal of Physical Education in Higher Education, 5(3), 143–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Llewellyn, C. D., Weinman, J., & McGurk, M. (2008). A cross-sectional comparison study of cognitive and emotional well-being in oral cancer patients. Oral Oncology, 44(2), 124–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu, J. H., Chen, L. H., & Cho, K. H. (2006). Revision of Raedeke and Smith’s Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ): Analyses of validity and reliability of Chinese version. Physical Education Journal, 39(3), 83–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • McAdams, D. P., & Bauer, J. J. (2004). Gratitude in modern life: Its manifestations, development. In R. A. Emmons, & M. McCullough (Eds.), The psychology of gratitude (pp. 81–99). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McAlinden, N. M., & Oei, T. P. S. (2006). Validation of the quality of life inventory for patients with anxiety and depression. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 47(4), 307–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCraty, R., & Childre, D. (2004). The grateful heart: The psychophysiology of appreciation. In R. A. Emmons, & M. E. McCullough (Eds.), The psychology of gratitude (pp. 230–256). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J. A. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(1), 112–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., Tsang, J. A., & Emmons, R. A. (2004). Gratitude in intermediate affective terrain: links of grateful moods to individual differences and daily emotional experience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(2), 295–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nesti, M. (2004). Existential psychology and sport: Theory and application. London; New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oishi, S. (2006). The concept of life satisfaction across cultures: An IRT analysis. Journal of Research in Personality, 40(4), 411–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pavot, W., & Diener, E. (1993). Review of Satisfaction with Life Scale. Psychological Assessment, 5, 164–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pritchett, P. (2007). Hard optimism. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raedeke, T. D., & Smith, A. L. (2001). Development and preliminary validation of an athlete burnout measure. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 23(4), 281–306.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reinboth, M., & Duda, J. L. (2006). Perceived motivational climate, need satisfaction and indices of well-being in team sports: A longitudinal perspective. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 7(3), 269–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, C. R., & Lopez, S. J. (2007). Positive psychology: The scientific and practical explorations of human strengths. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, R. C. (1977). The passions. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steinberg, L., & Morris, A. S. (2001). Adolescent development. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 83–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teigen, K. H. (1997). Luck, envy, and gratitude: It could have been different. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 38, 313–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsai, I. M., Wu, S. C., & Chen, L. H. (2005). Effects of 8 weeks aerobic dance program on depression and psychological well-being in middle age women. Chungtal Journal, 17(1), 59–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walling, N., Duda, J. L., & Chi, L. (1993). The perceived motivational climate in sport questionnaire: Construct and predictive validity. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 15, 172–183.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watkins, P. C. (2004). Gratitude and subjective well-being. In R. A. Emmons, & M. E. McCullough (Eds.), The psychology of gratitude (pp. 167–192). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watkins, P. C., Scheer, J., Ovnicek, M., & Kolts, R. (2006). The debt of gratitude: Dissociating gratitude and indebtedness. Cognition and Emotion, 20(2), 217–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, C. H., & Yao, G. (2006). Analysis of factorial invariance across gender in the Taiwan version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 40(6), 1259–1268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, K. S. (2006). Indigenized conceptual and empirical analyses of selected Chinese psychological characteristics. International Journal of Psychology, 41(4), 298–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Shih-Yi Chang and Chih-Ching Chu for their kind assistance during the data collection process. We also thank Robert Emmons for permiting us to translate the GQ-6 into Chinese, and Yi-Chen Lee for her help in developing the Sport-domain Gratitude Questionnaire. The second author, Ying Hwa Kee, is grateful to the Taiwan Government for the Taiwan Scholarship awarded to him in support of his doctoral education.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Institute of Physical Education, National Taiwan Sport University, 250, Wen Hua 1st Road, Kueishan, Taoyuan County, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Lung Hung Chen

  2. Department of Physical Education, National Taiwan Normal University, 162, He-ping East Road, Section 1, Taipei, 106, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Ying Hwa Kee

Authors
  1. Lung Hung Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ying Hwa Kee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ying Hwa Kee.

Appendix A

Appendix A

  1. 1.

    I have so much to be thankful for, during the course of my training.

  2. 2.

    If I had to list everything in my sport career that I felt grateful for, I think it would be a very long list.

  3. 3.

    When I look at my sport career, I don’t see much to be grateful for.

  4. 4.

    I am grateful to many coaches or teammates.

  5. 5.

    As I get older I find myself more able to appreciate the help given by coaches or teammates, who have been part of my life history.

  6. 6.

    Long amounts of time can go by before I feel grateful to coaches or teammates.

Note: items 3 and 6 are reversely scored items

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chen, L.H., Kee, Y.H. Gratitude and Adolescent Athletes’ Well-Being. Soc Indic Res 89, 361–373 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-008-9237-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-008-9237-4

Keywords

  • Thankful
  • Gratefulness
  • Stress
  • Satisfaction
  • Happiness
  • Positive psychology