This study aimed to identify the relationship between grateful disposition and the subjective happiness of young adults; it examined a sequential double mediating effect model of social support and positive interpretation on this relationship. The study participants included 389 male and female Korean young adults. The Korean version of Gratitude Questionnaire-6, a modified subscale of the SU Mental Health Test, Iverson et al.'s scale for social support, and the Subjective Happiness Scale were used. PROCESS Macro 3.5 Model 6 was used to analyze the double mediating effect. The correlation analysis showed that grateful disposition was positively correlated with social support, positive interpretation, and subjective happiness in young adults. Moreover, social support was positively correlated with positive interpretation and subjective happiness, whereas positive interpretation was positively correlated with subjective happiness. In addition, the sequential mediating effect of social support and positive interpretation on grateful disposition and the subjective happiness of young adults was significant. This study confirmed the determinant roles of social support and positive interpretation in grateful disposition and the subjective happiness of young adults, providing useful information for planning future studies and developing education materials and interventions for cultivating grateful disposition in childhood and promoting happiness in young adults.
Keywords: gratitude; happiness; positivity; social support; young adults.