Sustainable Gratitude Based on Theistic Spiritual Values Scale (SGBTSV-45): A Higher Education Measurement Instrument

Background Gratitude is consistently associated with psychological well-being and adaptive functioning; however, many existing measurement instruments are grounded in secular conceptualizations that may not adequately capture spiritually integrated gratitude within theistic societies. In contexts where spiritual beliefs shape personal meaning and moral orientation, gratitude may function as an enduring dispositional resource rather than a transient emotional state. This study aimed to develop and psychometrically validate the Sustainable Gratitude Based on Theistic Spiritual Values Scale (SGBTSV-45), designed to assess sustainable gratitude among university students. Methods A quantitative cross-sectional instrumental design was conducted with 543 Indonesian university students. The 45-item instrument was theoretically constructed across eight dimensions: transpersonal, personal, emotional, moral, prosocial, behavioral action, psychological well-being, and inner strength. Content validity was established through expert review, followed by pilot readability testing to ensure clarity and contextual relevance. Psychometric evaluation was performed using the Rasch Measurement Model, including rating scale diagnostics, Principal Component Analysis of Residuals to assess unidimensionality, item fit statistics, Wright mapping, and reliability and separation indices. Results Rating scale diagnostics confirmed appropriate functioning of the five response categories with ordered thresholds. Unidimensionality was supported, with 30.0% of raw variance explained by measures and 14.1% unexplained variance in the first contrast, indicating a dominant latent construct. All items met acceptable fit criteria. Reliability analysis showed person reliability of 0.83, item reliability of 0.99, and Cronbach’s alpha of 0.85, reflecting good internal consistency. The item separation index (10.66) indicated strong discrimination across levels of the construct, and Wright map analysis demonstrated appropriate alignment between item difficulty and respondent distribution. Conclusions The SGBTSV-45 demonstrates satisfactory structural validity, measurement precision, and reliability. The scale offers a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing sustainable gratitude within theistic higher education contexts and may support future research and assessment practices in spirituality-informed psychological development.