Mediating effects of social support and self-esteem on the relationship between dispositional gratitude and depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents

The current study tested the mediating effects of social support and self-esteem on the link of dispositional gratitude with depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents. A total of 1245 adolescents completed the Gratitude Questionnaire, the Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. Mediation analyses indicated that social support and self-esteem independently mediated the dispositional gratitude-depressive symptoms link, and these mediating effects were not significantly different. In addition, the chain mediating path from gratitude to depressive symptoms via social support and self-esteem was significant. These findings suggest that social support and self-esteem serve as meditational mechanisms in the association between dispositional gratitude and depressive symptoms, supporting an integrated psycho-social and cognitive framework. Implications and future directions of the findings are discussed.