When Gratitude Becomes Pressure

Not every sense of duty feels the same from the inside. Two people can do the same thing for their family, one freely and one reluctantly. The proposal's emphasis on kusang-loob, willingness, points at that difference.

What studies suggest about adjustment

Dizon and Alampay studied whether family obligation moderates longitudinal associations between parental psychological control and adjustment among urban adolescents [Dizon & Alampay (2024)]. Rote and colleagues examined cultural values, parenting, and child adjustment in the Philippines [Rote et al. (2024)]. Xing and colleagues looked at the role of responsibility and belief in a just world in the link between parental rejection and youth gratitude [Xing et al. (2023)].

Rather than summarizing their conclusions here, we point you to the papers, which are linked on the sources page. What they share is attention to how family context shapes the way obligation and gratitude work together.

What our study does and does not do

It does not measure stress, and it does not ask whether obligation is healthy. It asks only whether the two ideas relate. If a relationship is found, it will not say whether it is good or bad.

Family pressure can be heavy. If it is weighing on you, a guidance counselor, a trusted adult, or a mental health professional is a good person to talk to.

Next, Part 3: parents, and how the study is built.