The association of gratitude with perceived stress and burnout among male firefighters in Korea

We examined the association of gratitude with perceived stress and burnout in firefighters. A total of 464 male firefighters completed a self-administered questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, the Korean version of the Gratitude Questionnaire (K-GQ-6), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey (MBI-GS), Big Five Inventory-10 (BFI-10), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The K-GQ-6 score was negatively correlated with the PSS and MBI-GS exhaustion and cynicism scores. The linear regression analysis revealed that gratitude was negatively associated with perceived stress and the exhaustion and cynicism burnout subscales after controlling for religiousness, personality variables, anxiety, and depression. These findings suggest that gratitude acts as an independent protective factor against stress and burnout. Gratitude should be incorporated into training and psychoeducation throughout the course of a firefighter's career.