Why the Reasons That Parents Give for Socializing Gratitude in Their Children Matter

Research suggests that gratitude in adults is associated with many positive outcomes (e.g., lower psychopathology, higher levels of happiness and well-being). However, little research has been conducted on gratitude in children, and no research has examined the ways that parents socialize gratitude in their young children. I examined how the reasons for gratitude socialization among parents relate to their socialization behaviors and children’s gratitude behaviors. Parents (n=101) reported on their reasons for gratitude socialization in a baseline survey and then seven-days of online diaries about their gratitude socialization behaviors and their children’s gratitude behaviors. Structural equation modeling was used to examine if parents’ reasons for gratitude socialization directly predicted children’s gratitude behaviors and if this association was mediated by parents’ gratitude socialization behaviors. Results suggest that parents who socialize gratitude for social conformity reasons (e.g., to teach children social norms and manners) may have children who display fewer gratitude behaviors compared to those who have weaker social conformity reasons; there was no direct effect of morally-motivated reasons for gratitude socialization (e.g., to teach social responsibility and promote social justice) on children’s gratitude behaviors. A marginally significant meditational pathway was found wherein parents who had stronger morally-motivated reasons for socialization engaged in more gratitude socialization behaviors, and parents who engaged in more socialization behaviors had children who engaged in more gratitude-related behaviors. These findings provide a basis for understanding how parents’ different reasons for socialization influence the development of gratitude in children, which may have implications for children’s socio-emotional well-being.Bachelor of Art