Exploring the Mediating Role of Psychological Flexibility in the Relationship Between Gratitude and Psychological Well-being

Abstract

The current research studied how psychological flexibility connects gratitude with psychological well-being in adult populations. The research tested whether psychological flexibility serves as a bridge that enables gratitude to produce better psychological outcomes according to two psychological theories which include positive psychology and process-based behavioral models. Three hundred twenty adults participated in the study by completing the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ-6) and Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB) and the Comprehensive Assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Processes (CompACT). The study found that participants displayed high levels of both gratitude and psychological flexibility and psychological well-being based on descriptive findings. The correlation analysis showed that gratitude positively connects with psychological well-being (r = 0.58, p < 0.001) and gratitude establishes a positive connection with psychological flexibility (r = 0.52, p < 0.001) while psychological flexibility also shows a positive relationship with psychological well-being (r = 0.64, p < 0.001). The regression analysis showed that gratitude functioned as a crucial predictor of psychological well-being (B = 0.72, p < 0.001) and psychological flexibility (B = 0.65, p < 0.001). The mediation analysis showed that psychological flexibility acted as a partial mediator for the relationship between gratitude and well-being because the gratitude coefficient dropped to 0.38 when flexibility entered the analysis. The research demonstrates how gratitude improves psychological well-being through its role in promoting increased acceptance and openness and the pursuit of personal values. The study shows that mental health promotion programs need to combine gratitude practices with psychological flexibility training because this combination produces better results for participants.