感恩代表了个体一种普遍的积极倾向，引导个体关注并欣赏生活中的积极因素，是个体积极发展的重要资源，对于个体和社会均具有重要意义。大量研究表明，感恩对于个体积极适应、促进社会和谐繁荣至关重要。已有研究发现，个体感恩的发展受到环境和文化的影响，青少年早期是感恩发展的关键时期，在此期间，感恩也对青少年发挥着重要保护作用，然而，中国儿童青少年的感恩发展情况还未可知。亲子关系是青少年社会化的关键背景因素，对于促进其积极情绪及价值观发展具有重要作用，已有研究发现了感恩与亲子关系之间存在显著关联。根据关系发展系统(RDS)元理论，个体是在与情境的双向互动中不断发展的，然而已有研究缺乏对于感恩、亲子关系之间关系方向及机制的探索。

为此，本研究根据积极情绪和积极亲密关系相互作用模型，对1513名五年级学生进行了3个时间点（间隔1年）的追踪研究，在考察青少年早期感恩基本特点和发展趋势的基础之上，采用交叉滞后模型考察感恩与亲子关系之间的双向预测关系及其中的父母作用差异，并进一步考察其中的中介作用机制，主要结果如下：

（1）青少年早期感恩水平存在性别和是否独生上的差异，具体而言，女生的感恩水平显著高于男生，独生子女的感恩水平显著高于非独生子女；青少年早期感恩水平呈现线性下降趋势，是否独生对于感恩的初始水平有着预测作用，感恩的初始水平和发展趋势不存在显著的个体差异。

（2）青少年早期感恩和亲子关系之间存在双向预测作用。具体而言，父子关系、母子关系能够显著正向预测下一个时间点的青少年早期感恩水平，且父子关系的预测效应更强；青少年早期的感恩水平也能显著正向预测下一个时间点的父子关系和母子关系。

（3）青少年早期共情在感恩与亲子关系的关系中其中介作用。具体而言，青少年早期共情的认知成分和情感成分在亲子关系预测感恩的过程中均发挥着中介作用，父子关系、母子关系均能通过显著正向预测青少年早期观点采择、共情关心，进一步显著正向影响其感恩水平，且该过程不存在父母作用差异；青少年早期共情的认知成分在感恩预测亲子关系的过程中发挥着中介作用，青少年早期感恩能够通过显著正向影响其观点采择水平，进一步提升其父子关系、母子关系质量，且该过程不存在父母作用差异。

本研究结果为揭示我国青少年积极发展特点和背后原理机制性问题提供了借鉴，为进一步丰富感恩及有关领域的理论研究、帮助建立和实现家庭系统内部的良性循环、促进青少年家庭的和谐幸福，以及青少年个体的积极适应与发展提供科学依据。

Gratitude represents a universal positive tendency of individuals, guiding them to pay attention to and appreciate the positive aspects of life. It is an important resource for individual positive development and holds significant meaning for both individuals and society. A wealth of research evidence indicates that gratitude is crucial for individuals' positive adaptation and the promotion of social harmony and prosperity. Existing research has found that gratitude develops during childhood and adolescence and is influenced by the environment and culture. Early adolescence is a key period for the development of gratitude, yet the development of gratitude among Chinese children and adolescents remains to be explored. Parent-child relationships are a key context for the socialization of adolescents. According to the meta-theory of relational development systems, individuals continuously develop through bidirectional interactions with their context. Some research has revealed a close connection between adolescent gratitude and parent-child relationships to a certain extent, but there is a lack of empirical evidence regarding the direction of this relationship.
This study based on the positive emotions and positive close relationships interaction model, conducted a three-time point (one-year interval) longitudinal study with 1513 fifth-grade students. On the basis of examining the basic characteristics and development trends of gratitude in early adolescence, it used a cross-lagged model to examine the bidirectional predictive relationship between gratitude and parent-child relationships, as well as the differences in the role of parents, and further explored the mediating mechanisms involved. The main findings are as follows:
(1) There are gender and only-child differences in the level of gratitude in early adolescence. Specifically, girls have a significantly higher level of gratitude than boys, and only children have a significantly higher level of gratitude than non-only children; the level of gratitude in early adolescence shows a downward linear trend, with being an only child predicting the initial level of gratitude, and no significant individual differences in the initial level and development trend of gratitude.
(2) There is a bidirectional predictive effect between gratitude and parent-child relationships in early adolescence. Specifically, the father-child and mother-child relationships can significantly and positively predict the level of gratitude in early adolescence at the next time point, with the father-child relationship having a stronger predictive effect; the level of gratitude in early adolescence can also significantly and positively predict the father-child and mother-child relationships at the next time point.
(3) Early adolescent empathy plays a mediating role in the relationship between gratitude and parent-child relationships. Specifically, the cognitive and emotional components of early adolescent empathy both play a mediating role in the process of parent-child relationships predicting gratitude. Both father-child and mother-child relationships can significantly and positively predict early adolescent perspective-taking and empathic concern, which in turn significantly and positively affect their level of gratitude, with no significant parent role differences; the cognitive component of early adolescent empathy plays a mediating role in the process of gratitude predicting parent-child relationships. Early adolescent gratitude can significantly and positively affect their level of perspective-taking, which further enhances the quality of their father-child and mother-child relationships, with no significant parent role differences.