Life satisfaction trajectories of junior high school students in poverty: Exploring the role of self‐efficacy and social support

Abstract

Introduction: Adolescents' evaluation of overall life in response to adverse life circumstances may depend on the features of events as well as the resources of the youngsters, but there is a lack of research examining whether these factors relate to life satisfaction trajectories from early adolescence to late adolescence (ranging from age 12 to 19). This study analyzes whether controllable negative life events, internal resources, (e.g., self-efficacy) and external resources, (e.g., three sources of social support) predict life satisfaction trajectories, and whether these resources moderate the negative impacts of controllable events on life satisfaction trajectories. Methods: Multilevel growth modeling was used to analyze a three-wave, nationally representative sample consisting of 818 adolescents from poor families in Taiwan. At time T1, participants were junior high school students (mean age = 13.52, SD=.83). Results: The results revealed that controllable negative events reduced the initial state of life satisfaction, whereas self-efficacy and family support enhanced the initial life satisfaction. In addition, instead of providing a buffering effect, self-efficacy strengthened the link between baseline controllable events and changes in life satisfaction. Conclusions: These findings suggest that peer support, rather than family and teacher support, moderates the impact of controllable negative events on life satisfaction over time.

Development of Perceived Family Support and Positive Mental Health in Junior High School Students: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study

“…However, some studies have reported that adolescents’ self-efficacy of shows a downward trend with time (Burger & Samuel, 2017). This is consistent with a 2-year longitudinal study of junior high school students (Jhang, 2019). Adolescents’ self-efficacy is closely related to their resilience (Sagone & Caroli, 2013; Sagone et al, 2020).…”

The relationship between negative life events and quality of life in adolescents: Mediated by resilience and social support

“…Previous studies have demonstrated that social support can buffer the impact of NLEs on depression, anxiety, and other psychological problems (24,28,55). Social support from the school, family, and other environments is a positive predictor of adolescents' QoL (29,56).…”

The mediating role of perceived social support between anxiety symptoms and life satisfaction in pregnant women: a cross-sectional study

“…One of the most effective means of coping with challenging life events is perceived social support (PSS), which determines a person's health and well-being [27,28]. The positive relationship between social support and LS has been repeatedly reported, but mostly aimed at students, the elderly or disease-related population [29][30][31]. A small number of studies discussed the impact of social support on pregnant women's LS.…”