Internships in Startup Companies: Attachment Styles and Gratitude Influence Interns’ Performance and Satisfaction

Background Grounded in positive psychology and entrepreneurship-education theory, we treat start-up internships as laboratories where relational climates cultivate—or constrain—strengths and entrepreneurial competence. Purpose This study tests how attachment style to supervisors and gratitude toward the internship shape flourishing and functioning in entrepreneurial settings. Method This study was conducted online, collecting data from 276 interns across 117 startups, with supervisor ratings for 253 of them, using adapted measures of attachment, gratitude, satisfaction, and performance. Findings Secure attachment was associated with higher gratitude, which in turn was linked to interns’ satisfaction and supervisors’ performance ratings. Conversely, anxious and avoidant styles were associated with lower gratitude, reduced satisfaction, and poorer performance; however, mediation analyses indicated that interns’ gratitude levels mediated these associations. Implications Implications extend to internship curriculum design, mentor coaching, and workplace interventions aimed at promoting the fulfillment and success of interns and possibly junior employees.