The Relationship between Gratitude and Prosocial Behavior among High School Students in Da Nang: The Mediating Role of Meaning in Life
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Gratitude is a positive emotion reflecting an appreciation and acknowledgment of the good things an individual receives from others and from life. Prosocial behavior reflects the tendency to help, share, and contribute to the common good. Meaning in life is an individual's sense of purpose and the perceived value of their own existence. This study aims to investigate the relationship between gratitude and prosocial behavior among high school students in Da Nang city, and to simultaneously examine the mediating role of meaning in life in this relationship.
The study was conducted with 407 participating students who completed a survey using three standardized scales measuring gratitude, prosocial behavior, and meaning in life. The analysis results indicate that gratitude has a positive and significant influence on prosocial behavior, and that meaning in life partially mediates this relationship. This suggests that when students experience higher levels of gratitude, they tend to perceive their lives as more meaningful, and consequently exhibit more prosocial behaviors.
Based on these findings, the study proposes several educational measures and experiential activities aimed at fostering gratitude and enhancing the perception of meaning in life for high school students, thereby contributing to the formation of positive character and a spirit of social responsibility in the younger generation.
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