This study aimed to examine the relationship among social support, gratitude disposition, and their interpersonal competence for undergraduate students and to find out how social support and gratitude disposition affect interpersonal competence.

To this end, data from 303 students of university A located in Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea were collected by using self-report questionnaires from 103 male students and 200 female students. The data were analyzed by using SPSS 21.0 program for descriptive statistics analysis, t-test, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis.

The results of this study were summarized as following:

Firstly, with respect to the difference between genders, the results were shown that male students have higher awareness of social support and parental support as a source of social support than female students, and have more tendency to assert their right or express displeasure more than their female counterparts, in which claim of right or expression of displeasure are sub-variables of interpersonal competence. With respect to the difference between grades, the results were indicated that juniors and seniors have higher awareness of appraisal, which is a sub-variable of support from people around them, and are more likely to feel emotional experience of gratitude and show higher response tendency than freshmen and sophomores.

And then, simple correlations among measured variables of social support, gratitude disposition, and interpersonal competence were positive and significant, except for the correlation between parental support, which is a source of social support, and interpersonal competence.

Finally, the results of multiple regression analysis were shown that the effects of social support and gratitude disposition on interpersonal competence were positive and significant. With respect to the difference between genders, both male and female students were positively and significantly influenced by support from people around them, while parental support had a negative effect on interpersonal competence of male students. With respect to the difference between grades, people’s support and recognition and acknowledgment of gratitude objects had positive and significant effects on interpersonal competence of freshmen and sophomores, while parental support had a negative effect on their interpersonal competence. As for juniors and seniors, only the support from people around them had a positive and significant effect on their interpersonal competence.

As mentioned before, it can be seen that social support for college students and their gratitude disposition have positive effects on their interpersonal competence. Further, the results are shown that there are differences between genders and grades in terms of effects of social support and gratitude disposition on interpersonal competence. Based on the results, this study provide the programs and counseling interventions for undergraduate students and implications for future research.