Gratitude, hope, optimism and life satisfaction as predictors of psychological well-being*

Abstract

Purpose: The mainstream psychology has mostly focused on the negative factors that threaten human mental health. With the emergence of positive psychology approach, the human strengths have started to be studied and the number of studies on the issue of happiness and well-being has increased. The aim of this research is to reveal the level of prediction for psychological well-being by the variables of gratitude, hope, optimism and life satisfaction. Method: Research sample consisted of 510 students from various faculties and departments of four different universities. The study group consisted of 359 female (70.4%) and 151 male (29.6%) university students. The age range of participants varied between 17 and 30. Findings: All the variables discussed in the study were positively related to each other, and the variables of gratitude, optimism, hope, and life satisfaction all together accounted for about 51% of the variance of psychological well-being. Gratitude was determined as the most predictive variable for well-being and it was followed by the variables; hope, optimism, and life satisfaction, respectively. Accordingly; gratitude predicted 35.4% of the variance in well-being alone; gratitude and hope predicted 45.4% together; gratitude, hope, and optimism predicted 48.8% together; while gratitude, hope, optimism, and life satisfaction predicted 50.7% percent altogether. Implications for Research and Practice: These findings are thought to be important in terms of revealing variables that predict well-being with a high level of variance. It is thought that these findings can be used in the field of mental health especially by the researchers and practitioners using intervention studies. Especially, since the gratitude level accounts for 35.4% of the variance in well-being alone, gratitude interventions can effectively be used to improve well-being level.