Gratitude in the Brazilian context: Measurement and relationship with personality and well-being

Abstract

Studies on gratitude are becoming increasingly frequent, mainly because of its relationship with well-being. The aim of this study was to adapt an instrument of gratitude, the Gratitude Questionnaire, and to seek evidence of its validity for Brazil. Controlled translation procedures were performed, and the instrument was applied to 916 adults, mean age 37 years, predominantly with higher education level. The results revealed adequacy of the data for a single factor structure of the instrument, with satisfactory reliability, and highly discriminative items. The correlations between gratitude and other variables were as theoretically expected: Positive with self-esteem, optimism, life satisfaction, and positive affect. Gratitude also explained subjective well-being beyond personality factors. The instrument showed satisfactory evidence of validity in the Brazilian context; however, it was observed that it lacks items that cover the higher spectrum of the latent trait.