Development and Standardisation of Anugraha-Loyola Gratitude Scale (ALGS-48)

Page: 340-351
M. Louie Doss and Lawrence SoosaiNathan (Anugraha Institute of Social Sciences, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu)

Gratitude is one’s “general tendency to recognize and respond with grateful emotion to other people’s benevolence” (McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, 2002, p. 2). It is considered a treasure, and all religions, cultures, and moral teachings have asserted the value and benefits of gratitude for nurturing human relations. This study aims at developing a tool to measure the level of gratitude in common people in the age group of 20-60. The constructed and validated Anugraha-Loyola Gratitude Scale (ALGS-48) consists of 48 items with six dimensions based on general, relational, emotional, spiritual, expressive, and ecological aspects. The suitability of the items was found in the first phase by the Cronbach Alpha test based on the pilot study (N = 160). The internal consistency, validity, reliability, and test-retest reliability of ALGS-48 were established based on the study conducted on a larger sample (N = 1116). The concurrent validity of the ALGS-48 scale was correlated with Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ), Gratitude Questionnaire-Six-Item Form (GQ-6), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The results showed a positive correlation between OHQ and GQ-6 while BAI had a negative correlation. The applicability, limitations, and norms for the interpretation of ALGS-48 are discussed in detail. The results of this study indicate that the ALGS-48 possesses adequate psychometric qualities to measure gratitude among the commoners in the Indian context.