Measuring Gratitude: A Comparative Validation of the Dutch Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ6) and Short Gratitude, Resentment, and Appreciation Test (SGRAT)

Abstract

The aim of this article was to validate and compare the Dutch translations of the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ6) and the Short Gratitude, Resentment, and Appreciation Test (SGRAT) in an adult general population sample. In an online survey, 706 respondents (M _age = 44, SD _age = 14) completed Dutch versions of the GQ6, the SGRAT, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). At six week follow-up, 440 (62%) of them (M _age = 46, SD _age = 14) again completed the GQ6-NL and SGRAT-NL. Parallel analyses, exploratory factor analyses and confirmatory factor analyses revealed and confirmed one factor for the GQ6-NL, and three factors for the SGRAT-NL. Internal consistency indices of the GQ6-NL and of the SGRAT-NL were satisfactory. Both questionnaires demonstrated good test-retest reliability. Regression analyses showed, for the total scores on both gratitude questionnaires, positive associations with the SWLS and the Positive Affect Scale, and negative associations with the Negative Affect Scale. The results support the validity of the Dutch GQ6 and SGRAT. These questionnaires can be used to conduct further research of the grateful disposition in Dutch speaking individuals and groups.