The relationship between gratitude and job satisfaction: The mediating roles of social support and job crafting

A great deal of research has shown that being grateful plays an important role in individuals work attitude, such as job satisfaction. However, few studies investigate how gratitude links to job satisfaction. To fill these gaps, the present study aimed to examine the relationship between dispositional gratitude and job satisfaction, and further investigate the mediating roles of social support and job crafting in the relationship between dispositional gratitude and job satisfaction. A sample of 360 female kindergarten teachers (Mage = 25.12; SDage = 7.19) in China completed the Gratitude Questionnaire, the Social Support Rating Scale, the Job Crafting Questionnaire, and Job Satisfaction Questionnaire. Results showed that gratitude, social support, job crafting and job satisfaction were significantly and positively correlated with each other. Mediation analysis revealed that social support did not mediate the relationship between gratitude and job satisfaction. Job crafting partially mediated the relationship between gratitude and job satisfaction. Moreover, gratitude was associated with job satisfaction through the chain mediating effect of social support and job crafting. These findings broaden our understanding of the psychological processes that underlie the association between gratitude and job satisfaction, and offer practical guidance on increasing job satisfaction.