The Role of Mindfulness and Gratitude Practices in Enhancing Life Satisfaction Among Senior High School Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69569/jip.2026.383Keywords:
Gratitude, Life satisfaction, Mindfulness, Mixed-methods, Senior High SchoolAbstract
Adolescence involves rapid physical, social, emotional, and cognitive transitions that may shape how students evaluate their lives. Although life satisfaction has been examined widely, fewer school-based studies have jointly analyzed gratitude and mindfulness among Filipino adolescents using both quantitative and qualitative evidence. This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study examined gratitude, mindfulness, and life satisfaction among 349 senior high school students from private schools in Cavite and explored how these constructs were experienced in daily life. The study gathered quantitative data using the Gratitude Questionnaire-Six Item Form, Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, t-test, and analysis of variance were used, while semi-structured interviews with four purposively selected participants were analyzed thematically using the PERMA framework. Results showed very high gratitude (M = 5.46, SD = 1.50), slightly low mindfulness (M = 3.46, SD = 1.51), and high life satisfaction (M = 4.58, SD = 1.67). Gratitude was moderately associated with life satisfaction (r = .48, p < .001), while mindfulness was weakly but significantly associated with life satisfaction (r = .33, p < .001). Gratitude and mindfulness were also weakly related (r = .16, p < .001). Monthly family income differed significantly across gratitude and life satisfaction, while family type showed only a marginal difference in gratitude. Qualitative findings showed that gratitude was experienced through family support, faith, daily provisions, relationships, and small accomplishments, whereas mindfulness was expressed through journaling, slowing down, reflection, and meaning-making. Findings support context-sensitive school well-being programs that integrate gratitude and mindfulness as complementary practices.
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