A ‘Thank You’ really would be nice: Perceived gratitude in family relationships

The current study investigated perceived gratitude in multiple family relationships (i.e. couple, parent-older child, parent-younger child) and their unique associations with couple, parenting, and individual outcomes. Study hypotheses were executed from a nationwide sample of 593 parents that were married or in a romantic relationship. Results indicated perceived gratitude from romantic partners was associated with couple relationship satisfaction but was not associated with parenting stress; conversely, perceived gratitude from children was associated with parenting stress but was not associated with couple relationship satisfaction. Perceived gratitude from romantic partners and from older children, but not younger children, were associated with less psychological distress. Some moderation effects by sex were also observed. Additionally, women were found to report lower levels of perceived gratitude from romantic partners and from older children than men. Findings highlight the unique benefits of perceived gratitude from different family relationships for improving various domains of family well-being.