In the complicated emotional field of family dynamics, theexpression of gratitude could have an unexpected value. A group of scholars from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has in fact recently revealed that feeling appreciated by your loved ones is not just a gesture of affection that is pleasant, of course, but perhaps remains an end in itself. Apparently, it would be instead scientifically linked to stronger relationships and more robust mental health. However, not all thanks have the same impact on family members, especially in the parent-child dynamic.
The new study, published on The Journal of Positive Psychologysheds new light – as he explains StudyFinds – on the role of gratitude within families. While past research had already shown that expressing and feeling gratitude is able to increase individual well-being – we had seen it in this case for example – the research in question demonstrates that receiving appreciation from family members has peculiar and specific benefits.
The main author, Allen Bartonan Illinois Extension specialist and assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, explains that feeling appreciated by various family members influences dynamics in different ways than generic expressions of gratitude perhaps from strangers or friends. While feeling appreciated by your partner primarily improves relationship satisfaction, receiving gratitude from children helps reduce stress related to parenting.
The research team analyzed data from 593 parents in the United States, both married and with permanent partners even if unmarried, with at least one child between four and seventeen years old. They examined the degree of appreciation these parents perceived from both their partners and their children, also assessing their psychological well-being, stress levels related to parenting and relationship satisfaction. “The ratio in a relationship will never be 50/50 and parents will always do more than their children – says Barton – however our findings underline that ensuring that individual efforts for the family are recognized and appreciated by other family members is important ».
The study therefore found that appreciation from children of different age groups can influence parents in distinct ways. While gratitude from all children contributed to reducing parental stress, only that from adolescents was, for example, associated with a improved mental health of parents.
A noteworthy result then emerged regarding the Gender disparity in perceived appreciation. Women reported feeling less appreciated than men, both by their partners and by their older children. A result that aligns with previous research and unfortunately without surprises: many investigations highlight how women’s contributions to family life often receive less recognition than those of men.
It’s not enough: the impact of children’s gratitude differed accordingly between mothers and fathers. For women, feeling valued by their children was associated with both lower parenting stress and greater relationship satisfaction with their partners. However, for men the same phenomenon correlated with slightly lower relationship satisfaction, suggesting that greater involvement with young children could sometimes negatively affect the romantic relationship.
Among other things, the benefits resulting from family appreciation sthey would seem universal and not tied to specific family structures or contexts: Perceived levels of gratitude remained constant across different types of families, regardless of socioeconomic status or other demographic factors.
These findings may have important practical implications for family life. Parents can in fact actively promote a culture of gratitude within the family unit both by expressing appreciation towards their partners and by teaching their children to show gratitude in an age-appropriate way. As Barton pointed out, it is crucial that parents help children to recognize opportunities to express gratitudefor example by encouraging them to thank the other parent for their helping actions.
SCIENTIFIC SOURCES CITED IN THIS ARTICLE:
A ‘Thank You’ really would be nice: Perceived gratitude in family relationships published on The Journal of Positive Psychology
