An examination of the reciprocal relations between life satisfaction and social problem solving in early adolescents

Abstract

Theoretical and emerging empirical advances in the life satisfaction (LS) and social problem solving (SPS) literature suggest that LS and SPS may have bidirectional relations. The main purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis of bidirectionality between LS and two components of the SPS, orientation (SPS-O) and skills (SPS-S). Two waves of data were collected from a sample of 733 adolescents at a middle school over a 6-month period. Cross-lagged panel analysis results showed that statistically, LS significantly predicted SPS-O and SPS-S after six months; however, neither SPS-O nor SPS-S significantly predicted LS after six months. These findings suggest LS may function as an antecedent of SPS-O and SPS-S among early adolescents, which lead to a main implication that both SPS and LS could be the direct aims of educational and psychological programs to promote SPS development in early adolescents. Additional implication and future directions are discussed.

Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale: Analysis of Factorial Invariance Across Gender

“…The CFA results confirmed the one-factor model with modification in both gender groups, consistent with the findings of a previous study (Jiang et al 2016). The multi-group CFA results revealed full scalar invariance across gender.…”

“…results showed a large parameter associated with the residual covariance of Items 3 and 4 (M.I. = 20.81), which was similar to the results in a former study (Jiang et al 2016). It seems these two items have characteristics that uniquely differ from other items.…”

“…However, none of these studies have applied the more stringent, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) procedures to confirm the one-factor structure. To the best of our knowledge, only one recent study reported the CFA results of the measurement model for the SLSS-English version (Jiang et al 2016). Specifically, Jiang and colleagues found that the original one-factor model did not fit the data adequately and that the modification indices revealed a very large value of the residual covariance of the two negatively keyed items (Items 3 and 4).…”

Finding the Sweet Spot: Investigating the Effects of Relationship Closeness and Instrumental Activities in School‐based Mentoring

“…The rationale for youth mentoring is grounded in developmental science research, where researchers found that children who have positive relationships with supportive adults fair better than those that do not (Bowen & Chapman, ; Garmezy & Masten, ; Parra, DuBois, Neville, Pugh‐Lilly, & Povinelli, ). Young people who develop relationships with supportive adults (e.g., teachers, coaches, family friends, parents) achieve higher grades, engage in less risky behaviors, and report higher levels of life satisfaction (Jiang, Lyons, & Huebner, ; Lyons, Huebner, & Hills, ; Malecki & Demaray, ). However, it is unclear what makes a relationship cohere and what makes it supportive or not, particularly in the context of structured programs that comprise the majority of efforts at formal mentoring.…”

Space Travels and Empathy: A New Area of Educational Intervention

“…So, it is logical to conclude that if one is improved, the other will get better. For this reason, both concepts must be considered to include it within future prevention and intervention of educational programs [37]. In another vein, topics such as decision making and awareness are also relevant to future Mars travels [2].…”