Relationships among adolescent subjective well-being, health behavior, and school satisfaction

Abstract

This study examined the relationship among subjective well-being (SWB), school satisfaction, and health behavior of Finnish secondary school students (N = 245). Pupils (51.0% female) in seventh and ninth grades from 13 secondary schools completed an anonymous questionnaire. Adolescent subjective well-being was measured using the Berne questionnaire of subjective well-being, and two subscales from an original Finnish questionnaire of values and subjective well-being. Results indicated that school satisfaction, body satisfaction, and self-rated good health explained 50% of the variance in global satisfaction among female respondents. For males, most significant predictors for global satisfaction included, in addition to those observed among girls, low-intensity drinking which explained 31% of the variance. The most significant associations for global ill-being for females were school dissatisfaction, high-intensity drinking, and self-rated moderate health, explaining 34% of the variance. In global ill-being, the variables of body dissatisfaction and regular drinking explained only 14% of the variance for boys. The results support the need to enhance adolescent positive attitudes toward life and school, self-perception, and adolescent coping with negative emotions.