Adolescent subjective well-being and realized values

Abstract

Aims of the study: The purpose of this study was to describe adolescent subjective well-being and realized values, and to examine the relationships between socio-demographic variables, realized values and subjective well-being from the adolescent perspective.

Rationale: Adolescent subjective well-being was conceptualized by means of four different dimensions: satisfaction, ill-being, knowledge and activities related to well-being. The values were operationalized by eight core ideas from which a principal components analysis identified 10 factors representing the realized values.

Design: Data were gained by self-report questionnaires from 245 adolescents from 7th and 9th grades, with a mean age of 14 years, in 13 secondary schools in southern Finland. The data were analysed statistically.

Findings: According to the findings, most of the respondents were satisfied with life. However, one out of 10 did not experience the joy of life. There was no statistically significant difference in global satisfaction between girls and boys. Total ill-being among the adolescents was rare, but one out of four participants had fairly often worried about money and 17% were frequently unusually tired. Girls and pupils from the 9th class experienced more ill-being than boys and pupils from the 7th class. The findings suggest that certain values such as personal equilibrium, safe family relations, and family type are predictors of adolescent global subjective well-being.

Conclusions: While assessing and promoting adolescent well-being it is important to pay special attention to the realization of values in life and not merely to appreciation of things. Implications for practice include the need to create opportunities for the realization of values when adolescents require health care services.